By Xinhua
Jerusalem : Israeli Attorney General Menahem Mazuz decided on Monday that Israel’s plan to cut off energy supply to the Gaza Strip can’t be implemented at the moment, Israeli daily the Jerusalem Post reported on its website.
The report said Mazuz met with representatives from the Israeli Defense Ministry on Monday, and decided that the cutoff of electricity and fuel to Gaza must not be implemented until a mechanism preventing “collective punishment” of the Palestinians can be worked out.
To curb escalating rocket attacks, Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak on Thursday approved cut of electricity and fuel supply against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, which was criticized by the international communities as “collective punishment.”
According to the Jerusalem Post, Mazuz insisted that the defense establishment first devise a system to ensure that the move would not cause a humanitarian crisis for Palestinian civilians.
One suggestion that was reportedly discussed was to warn hospitals in Gaza of impending action so as to give them time to start their generators.
On Sunday, a number of human rights groups filed a petition to the Israeli High Court of Justice, requesting the court to issue an injunction against Israel’s sanction on Gaza.
Human rights groups said that it was illegal for Israel to collectively punish the 1.5 million Palestinians living in Gaza. Following the petition, the court has ordered the state to respond to the petition within five days.
Israel began scaling down its supply of fuel to the Gaza Strip on Sunday, as part of the sanctions package approved by Barak.
Dor Alon, the Israeli energy company that sells fuel to Gaza, confirmed it received instructions from the Defense Ministry to reduce shipments.
The fuel cut drew harsh condemnation from the Palestinians in the Strip, which relies on Israel for all of its fuel and more than half of its electricity.