Far-right ministers slam Israel’s move to re-connect Gaza with electricity as “foolishness”

Israel’s reconnection of a Gaza water facility to its electricity grid today has been slammed by far-right members of the occupation state’s parliament, the Knesset. The move is intended to supply up to 20,000 litres of water per day to Palestinian civilians.

In response, several nationalist opposition and government figures criticised the policy, including far-right minister Bezalel Smotrich, who urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to halt “this foolishness.”

According to the Jerusalem Post, military sources emphasised that this initiative is crucial for maintaining Israel’s global legitimacy to continue its purported efforts against Hamas. The US and other allies are pressing Netanyahu’s government to ease the military offensive and allow in more aid and supplies to relieve the humanitarian crisis affecting Palestinians in the enclave.

Footage posted on social media on Tuesday showed the electricity company in Gaza repairing electricity poles in Deir Al-Balah, which has been cut off for nearly nine months.

The decision comes after an Israeli security official and a western official told Reuters last week that Israel plans to supply electricity directly to a large water desalination facility in Khan Yunis. The facility was established with UN funding in 2017 to provide drinking water to areas in Deir Al-Balah, Khan Yunis and Al-Mawasi, where many Palestinians have fled due to the Israeli offensive. The desalination facility has a production capacity of about 20,000 cubic metres of water per day, but is currently only able to produce 1,500 cubic metres due to the lack of electricity.

According to Smotrich, supplying Gaza with electricity could aid in rebuilding hospitals, which he described as “terrorist centres”.

נפלנו על הראש לגמרי.
במו ידינו אנחנו משקמים את עזה. לפני פירוז.
ובעיקר את בתי החולים, כלומר מרכזי הטרור.

אדוני ראש ממשלה, עצור את האיוולת הזו.

הפעם אי אפשר יהיה לומר שלא ידענו כמו עם שחרור מנהל מפקדת הטרור בשיפא אתמול. pic.twitter.com/1Bsq7MHhgO

— בצלאל סמוטריץ' (@bezalelsm) July 2, 2024

The far-right head of the opposition Yisrael Beiteinu Party, Avigdor Lieberman, also criticised the move, calling for a continued “complete disconnection” from Gaza. “No electricity, no water, no fuel, and no goods,” he stated, in another example of the apartheid state’s genocidal intent in Gaza.

As the occupying power in Gaza, Israel is obligated under international law to supply the population with their basic needs, including electricity. Before the latest Israeli war, Gaza received most of its electricity from the occupation state and relied on fuel imports to operate power plants. However, the Israeli regime has completely cut off electricity supplies to the enclave since last October and imposed a strict limit on fuel supplies.

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