Ref: 04/2015
Date: 15 January 2015
Time: 13:00 GMT

The deaths of 26 persons, including 21 children, are not enough to solve the end the electricity crisis?!

The Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) expresses its deep concern over the failure of the parties responsible for managing the electricity sector in the Gaza Strip to solve the power crisis which has exacerbated with the beginning of the new year. PCHR further condemns dragging of the Palestinian people into the political conflict. The population of the Strip has lost many lives in their search for alternative energy sources during the harsh weather conditions which hit the area. PCHR calls upon the Palestinian Unity Government to assume its legal and moral responsibilities towards the 1.8 million people living in the Strip who suffer a suffocating economic and social siege. Furthermore, the residents of the strip have been suffering deteriorating health and environment services, including the deterioration of water and sewage infrastructure, as well as educational, social, and economic services.

According to PCHR’s follow-up of the chronic power crisis which started 8 years ago and aggravated with the break of the new year, PCHR noticed the following:

• The Gaza Electricity Distribution Company (GEDCO) and the Palestinian Energy Authority announced their need for industrial diesel to operate the power plant and fulfill the needs of the residents.
• The Energy Authority in Ramallah, under the guidance of the Palestinian Unity Government, has sent 2,774,000,000 liters of industrial diesel enough to supply the needs of Gaza till 12 January 2015 through “Kerem Shalom” border crossing since the first day of the new year.
• On 13 January 2015, the Palestinian Energy Authority announced that they were doing their best to provide fuel for the power plant. They also said that due to the strangling economic conditions in the Strip and the severe shortage of collected money, they, along with GEDCO, borrowed money and transferred it to the Ministry of Finance and the General Committee of Fuel to provide limited amounts of fuel to supply the increasing demand for power during the polar depression that hit the region. The Energy Authority confirmed that the imported amount of fuel was hardly enough to operate the power plant for one day. They said they would ration its use in order to get the most of it in operating the plant.
• The Energy Authority in Gaza pointed out in its response to the statements of the official in charge of the energy file in the Unity Government that it was hard to provide 8 hours of electricity daily due to the lack of fuel. They demanded Ramallah to exempt fuel purchases from taxes to ensure the operation of the power plant and the distribution of electricity for 8 hours daily.
• The Energy Authority in Gaza announced that they were not be operating the plant despite the availability of the needed industrial diesel and saved it to the expected polar low which was to hit the region the coming days. On 04 January 2015, only one of the power generators was operated to distribute electricity for six hours and then cut off for 12 hour. On 06 January 2015, two generators in the power plant were operated thus providing 60-63 megawatts of electricity added to 120 megawatts from Israel and 32 megawatts supplied by Egypt.
• The Energy Authority stated on their website that the available amount of energy is 215 megawatts which represent 67% of the total needs of the Strip during the winter and summer consumption peak which is estimated at 320 megawatts. However, the population suffered severe shortage of electricity as they had 4-6 hours of electricity daily during the past 2 weeks. Some reported that they had access to electricity only 4-6 hours in 48 hours.
• Complaints and protests of the population escalated during the crisis and peaked after the deaths of two children and injury of their father when fire broke out in their house on 03 January 2015. The incident increased the number of victims who lost their lives searching for alternative power sources to 26, including 21 children. The conditions of the electricity infrastructure continue to deteriorate.
• The population of the Strip has to bear extra costs although they do not have access to the necessary power to meet their needs. They cannot find alternative energy sources as the temperature reached its lowest levels during the polar depression, especially with the shortage of the cooking gas. Nearly half a million students of all school stages are suffering during their preparation for the final exams of the first term of 2014-2015 school year. Residents of multi-storey buildings suffered the obstruction of their movement and the conflict between the daily schedules of water and electricity distribution. Patients, the elderly and people with disabilities have suffered trying to access health services.
• It should be noted that dozens of thousands of civilian facilities, including houses and economic establishments no longer require electricity, thus decreasing the amount of actual demand. Nonetheless, PCHR is fully aware of the systematic destruction of the electricity infrastructure by the Israeli forces during their last offensive against the Strip.

PCHR strongly condemns the complete failure to manage the electricity crisis and the deterioration of the power shortage which damaged most vital sectors necessary for the decent life of Gaza population. PCHR asserts that:

1. The current electricity crisis is completely political. It is a result of the absence of honest Palestinian unity and the continuous political conflict despite the establishment of a unity government. PCHR holds the Unity Government, the Energy Authority in Gaza and GEDCO responsible for the aggravation of the crisis. PCHR calls upon the Unity Government to immediately take initiative and open a full objective investigation into the crisis.
2. The Palestinian Unity Government must assume its authority in managing the energy sector in the Gaza Strip and take all financial and administrative measurements to ensure transparency and honesty. Furthermore, the Unity government must work to improve the electricity infrastructure in the light of the extremely difficult circumstances.
3. The results of the failure of official bodies to handle the crisis should not be shouldered by the residents who are committed to paying their monthly bills. Therefore, official bodies must provide those individuals of their deserved electricity service in all circumstances.
4. The government and the Energy Authority have applied a mechanism by which the Ministry of Finance collects money from government employees in advance and GEDCO obliges the consumers to pay their bills and cuts the power off those who do not pay. Thus, many questions and suspicions arise regarding the amount of collected money and the availability of money needed for the industrial fuel and electricity supplies obtained form Israel.
5. The total closure imposed by Israeli forces for 8 years have contributed to the deterioration of the catastrophic economic conditions of thousands of families. Therefore, the mechanisms by which aid is provided for these families should be reconsidered in cooperation with the ministries and competent authorities, to take into consideration helping them in paying their electricity bills.
6. All competent authorities must conduct campaigns for increasing awareness regarding alternative energy sources to limit dangers of their misuse. All the population of the Gaza Strip should follow the general heath rules and keep children safe from the dangers of alternative lighting means.
7. An independent professional committee, which should includes skilled individuals in cooperation with representatives of the private and civil sectors, must be established to help the unity government manage this sector which raises concerns of all people.