Israeli Environmental Protection Minister Gilad Erdan compiled a letter to fellow cabinet members ahead of Sunday’s weekly cabinet meeting. In it, he wrote: “It would be absurd if at the same time as there is a terrorist regime next to us which doesn’t pay its bills, that there will be power outages [here]… In my opinion… since the disengagement we no longer have to supply the [Gaza] Strip with their needs. We are a moral country, and I do believe that water and energy are basic needs; however, when we ourselves do not have enough electricity, I don’t see any legal commitment. Cutting off supply to Gaza will insert an additional 4% of the country’s overall energy supply back into its own grid, alleviating pressure in Israel, which has already seen an 8.9% price hike in electricity prices following escalating disruptions and an eventual cessation to its natural gas supply from Egypt.”

Gaza fuel shortage (Photo: Al Ittihad)

MK Dov Khenin (Hadash), Chairman of the Knesset Health and Environmental Committee, slammed Erdan’s proposal. “Instead of punishing the Palestinian people for Israel’s poor management,” he told reporters, “plans should be put in place to enhance energy conservation and step up renewable energy programs.”