Israel says it's starting to cut power to Gaza
JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel said it was reducingelectrical power to the Gaza Strip on Friday as part of itsplan to sever economic ties with the territory.
The move was the latest in a series of Israeli steps thatincreases pressure on Gaza, ruled by the Islamist Hamas sincelast June and the source of repeated rocket attacks into theJewish state.
Critics have accused Israel of imposing a blockade thatamounts to "collective punishment" of the population of theterritory after it cut fuel to Gaza's main power plant lastmonth, leading to blackouts.
"We are trying to reduce the Gaza Strip's dependence onIsrael in many fields ... the High Court ruled that we areacting in a correct and appropriate manner," deputy DefenceMinister Matan Vilnai said.
A spokesman for Vilnai said Israel would reduce electricityon one of ten high-power lines by less than one megawatt by theend of Friday. It would eventually reduce power by some fivepercent of the 124 megawatts it supplies the Gaza Strip.
"This is not punishment ... we have disengaged from them bypulling out our troops and settlers and now we want them tostart looking after themselves, they have their own powerstation, they get power from Egypt, we want them to ... stoprelying on Israel," spokesman Eitan Ginsburg said.
Israel Radio reported on Thursday night that the powerreduction had already begun.
Ginsburg said that apart from Israel's 124 megawatts, alocal power station in Gaza City produced 64 megawatts andEgypt supplied 17 megawatts.
Asked to comment, U.S. State Dept spokesman Tom Casey saidhe was not familiar with the Israeli decision, but added: "Weunderstand Israel's right to defend itself, but we do not thinkthat actions should be taken that would infringe upon or worsenthe humanitarian situation for the civilian population inGaza."
The U.N. Human Rights Council said last month it deploredthe "grave violations" being committed by Israel in Gaza anddemanded it lift its blockade. The European Union has condemnedthe cordon as "collective punishment" on Gazans.
Israeli troops backed by tanks, helicopter gunships andwarplanes killed six Palestinian gunmen and a schoolteacher ina raid in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip on Thursday, militantgroups and hospital officials said.
Israel has stepped up military action against Hamas sinceit claimed responsibility for a Palestinian suicide bombing onMonday, the first such attack by the Islamist faction insidethe Jewish state since 2004.
BORDER
Palestinian militants blasted open the territory's borderwith Egypt last month in defiance of an Israeli blockade. Egyptre-sealed the border on Sunday.
Last month Vilnai said Israel wanted to wash its hands ofGaza altogether by handing over the supply of electricity,water and medicine to others.
Israel declared Gaza an "enemy entity" last September,three months after Hamas routed the rival Fatah faction forcontrol of the coastal enclave, whose eastern and southernborders, sea access and airspace are controlled by Israel.
The "enemy" designation was a green light for sanctionsalthough Israel said it would not inflict a humanitarian crisison Gaza's 1.5 million people.
Hamas has described militant attacks on Israel, which havealso been condemned internationally, as responses to Israelimilitary operations in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.
Makeshift Palestinian rockets rarely cause deaths in Israelbut have spread panic in its southern border towns.
On Thursday the Israeli army said troops had uncoveredunderground rocket silos in the northern Gaza Strip. Israel hasthreatened a major ground offensive into Gaza to try to end therocket salvoes.
(Editing by Andrew Roche)