The Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) apologizes
for the unintended wrong figures included in its position paper issued on 27
June 2010, titled “Position Paper on Aggravation of Electricity Crisis in
the Gaza Strip,” with regard to the money transfers from the Electricity
Distribution Company in the Gaza Strip to the Energy and Natural Resources in
Ramallah. PCHR points out the mistakes
are concerned with currencies (using NIS instead of US$), which led to wrong
conclusions, which PCHR will correct in the original paper. In the paper, PCHR stated that according to
information obtained from the Financial Officer of the Electricity Distribution
Company in Gaza, the total money transfers from the company in Gaza to the
Palestinian Energy Authority in Ramallah has been 22 million NIS since the
beginning of this year, instead of US $22 million. Accordingly, PCHR concluded that the company
has a surplus of 68.75 million NIS, after discounting operational expenditures.

A PCHR researcher conducted an interview on Wednesday, 30
June 2010, with Mr. Hani Slaman, Financial Officer of the Electricity
Distribution Company, and obtained a list of all money transfers to the
Palestinian Energy and National Resources Authority in Ramallah. According to the list, the total money
transfers until 27 June 2010 were US $22 million, not 22 million NIS. Consequently, the company does not have any
financial savings in Gaza, as it transfers all the money collected from beneficiaries
to the Energy Authority after discounting the operation expenditures, which
amount to 4 million NIS monthly. The
company transferred 92,790,097 million NIS (87% of the money collected from beneficiaries)
to the Energy Authority between 1 January and 29 June 2010. It also spent 13,739,508 on operational
activities. 

PCHR emphasizes that it has obtained all official documents
of money transfers from the Electricity Distribution Company to the Energy
Authority in Ramallah, the most recent of which were on 29 June 2010, in the
form of two separate payments of 3.9 million NIS and 3.85 NIS. 

PCHR welcomes the resumption of the operation of Gaza Power
Plant on Wednesday, 30 June 2010, after it was supplied with 94,000 liters of
industrial fuel. The Israeli Occupation
Forces (IOF) closed Karm Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom) crossing for several hours,
which obstructed the entry of an equal amount of industrial fuel into the Gaza
Strip. According to sources from the
Energy Authority in Gaza, this morning, 1 July 2010, Israeli forces have
allowed 230,000 liters of industrial fuel into the Gaza Strip, and an
additional amount is being supplied soon. 

PCHR reiterates its position with regard to the electricity
crisis, as explained in its press releases and workshops organized since last
February. PCHR calls upon all concerned
parties in Gaza and Ramallah to fulfill the requirements of the agreement
reached last April under the auspices of national figures and factions, by
which the Electricity Distribution Company in Gaza shall transfer at least US $4
million monthly to the Energy Authority in Ramallah as a contribution to the
costs of industrial fuel and the Energy Authority shall provide the necessary
industrial fuel.