‘They haven’t returned a single hostage – yet we’re returning their electricity’
By Hezy Laing
After four months of disconnection, Israel has yielded to international pressure and ordered the resumption of electricity supply to Gaza – to operate the desalination plant in Khan Yunis.
Although the cabinet decided that Israeli electricity would no longer be supplied to the Strip, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu himself ordered the reopening of the “Kela” line to allow the plant to operate.
The plant, established by UNICEF for the Palestinian Water Authority, is expected to resume supplying 18,000 cubic meters of drinking water per day – after output dropped to only about 2,000 due to the power outage.
This is a dramatic step that appears to be a retreat from previous Israeli positions, which emphasized the tightening of sanctions on Gaza.
The security establishment is maintaining silence, but among political figures there is a sense of frustration, “They haven’t returned a single hostage – yet we’re returning their electricity,” said one frustrated minister.
The government claims that the remaining power lines will remain disconnected, but the specific decision is provoking public criticism and a sense of political weakness.
