Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak on Thursday approved a plan
for limited cuts in electricity to the Gaza Strip due to continued
rocket attacks from the enclave on Israel.
Local daily Jerusalem Post reported on its website that
Barak approved a list of civilian sanctions against the Gaza Strip
during a special meeting of security officials.
Under the sanctions plan, Israel will cut electricity for
increasing lengths of time each time a Palestinian rocket is fired
into Israel, said the report.
The decision marks the first time Israel has scaled back vital
supplies to Gaza since the cabinet defined Gaza as a "hostile
entity" last month.
However, it was not immediately known that when the sanctions
would begin.
Once the power cuts plan was put into action, the 1.5 million
population in Gaza would be affected.
Israel adopted the sanctions plan as a means to combat the
ongoing Kassam rocket barrages that have been fired at southern
Israel from Gaza since the disengagement from Gaza in August
2005.
On Tuesday, Barak ordered his deputy Matan Vilna'i to prepare a
list of sanctions, which, supposed by military officials, would
contain power cuts to Gaza in the coming days.
"It's clear that we have to cut off... the supply of electricity
and the supply of fuel," Vilnai told Army Radio Wednesday. "We will
dramatically reduce the flow of electricity from Israel over
several weeks."
Barak was also advised to shut down one of the five power lines
connecting Israel and Gaza for two hours at night.
"We need to show the residents of Gaza that life does not
carryon freely when Kassam rockets land in Israel," a senior
defense official said. "If rockets are fired, then the Palestinians
will pay a price."
Despite Israeli threat to cut off power supplies to Gaza,
Palestinian rocket attacks on Israel continued throughout
Wednesday.
All of the rockets landed in open areas in the western Negevand
caused no damage.
In response, Israel Air Forces struck a Kassam rocket cell in
northern Gaza moments after its members launched two rockets at
Israel, killing two people.
(Xinhua News Agency October 26, 2007)
