It is illogical to assume that the Palestinian government, headed by Dr. Salam Fayya’d, was behind the electricity outages in many Gaza Strip communities, as a result of false information provided to the European Union by this government.
Two facts might prove that such an assumption is baseless: one is that the EU, which finances the fuel bills, employs hundreds of experts and is not as naïve as to accept the reported "false information,” without at least verifying them before cutting off the electricity, while realizing the negative implications of such a dramatic decision.
More obvious is the second fact, which relates to Fayya’d’s government efforts with EU to restore the power. The agreement to re-supply the Strip with the fuel needed to operate the generation plant was signed by the EU and Dr. Fayya’d’s government.
The European concerns, whether we agree with them or not, are focused upon the possibility of a financial benefit for Hamas. The deposed government of Isma’il Haniyya stirred European doubts by collecting taxes in various methods, most obvious of which was the duties imposed on cigarettes – something which infuriated the importers.
The Palestinian-European agreement, however, was both temporary and conditional. If the situation remains as is, the strip could enjoy the blessing of electricity, otherwise the outages might last longer and have more destructive effects. The ball is clearly in Hamas’ court and Haniyya’s deposed government in particular.
This issue, which we has finally been resolved, indicates the fragility of the situation under which we live on a daily basis. Electricity is a matter controlled by the temperament of the EU, water and food are hostages to the Israeli moods and positions – and our land, sea and aerial space are appropriated and violated. Despite all these atrocities, we continue to enjoy all the pastimes of governance, division, power struggle, accusations and press conferences.
The American- Israeli alliance
The Zionist movement, before the establishment of Israel, managed to access the nerve of the decision–making center in the then superpower, Britain, and made a strategic alliance with its government. This resulted in the issuance of the Balfour declaration and the later facilitation of the birth of Israel.
When the balance of power turned in favor of the United States, Israel and the Jewish organizations developed a PR network which helped in forging an America-Israeli strategic alliance based on regarding Israel as the frontline American fortress in the Middle East.
With the empowerment of the American neoconservatives, religious ideologies merged with political interests, and the Israeli–American relationship deepened to the level of an inseparable bondage.
Now it is almost impossible to determine which party leads and which follows.
Yet recent reports, published by American sources, that 14 percent of the American political elite believe that the alliance with Israel does not serve the U.S. security interests, might be the starting point of an American awareness of the real facts in the Middle East, with the drums violently beating across Iraq, Iran and Pakistan.
It would be premature to conclude that things might change in the near future, but it is unrealistic, by the same token, to believe that the American-Israeli alliance is showing the usual strength, or that it would be immune to the potential winds of change.
Ibrahim Deibes is a veteran Palestinian journalist. This editorial first appeared in Al-Quds.