The Gaza electricity stories the BBC reports – and the ones it doesn’t

As readers may recall, in late July 2014 the BBC devoted considerable coverage to the topic of an explosion at Gaza’s power plant which was inaccurately portrayed as a deliberate strike on the facility.Power plant Morris and Patience 2

The topic of the Gaza Strip’s utilities also featured in subsequent BBC reports, including one by Yolande Knell in which audiences yet again were given inaccurate information concerning the reasons for the chronic shortages of electricity in the territory.

“The manager, Rafik Maliha, has been here since the electricity plant opened a decade ago. It was supposed to make use of the latest technology to meet rising demand. Instead, it’s faced constant challenges. It’s been caught up in previous fighting between Hamas which controls Gaza and the group’s sworn enemy Israel. Tight border restrictions limited fuel imports. Although power cuts were common in Gaza before, now they’re much worse.” [emphasis added]

Since the end of the summer 2014 conflict between Israel and terrorist groups in the Gaza Strip, that same power plant has again stopped functioning on several occasions. Those stories had nothing to do with Israel and were not reported by the BBC.

BBC silent on latest Gaza power plant shut down

No BBC reporting on latest power crisis in the Gaza Strip

BBC News passes up the chance to set the record straight on Gaza shortages

One result of the ongoing dispute between Hamas and the Palestinian Authority which has brought about regular power shortages and stoppages is the failure to treat sewage and the consequent flow of untreated waste into the sea.

Gaza City from Zikkim
Gaza City from Zikkim

Israel recently announced that it will increase the supply of electricity it provides to the Gaza Strip in order to enable the recently completed sewage treatment plant there to operate effectively.

“The $100 million sewage plant, built with financing from the World Bank, does not have enough electricity to fully operate. The only power plant in Gaza has periodically halted production because of disputes over fuel tax payments between Hamas, the Iran-backed terror organization that rules the territory, and Fatah, the party in charge of the Palestinian Authority. The plant now runs on reduced capacity, meaning that Gaza residents usually only have six to eight hours of electricity per day, despite assistance from Israel and Egypt. Israel already provides about 30 percent of Gaza’s electricity needs, an IDF spokesman told the Associated Press in May. […]

Yuval Steinitz, Israel’s minister of national infrastructure, energy, and water, approved the increased power supply earlier this week. The move comes amid reports that Israel’s massive desalination plant in Ashkelon has had its operations disrupted several times in recent months due to high levels of water pollution, affecting Israel’s potable water supply.”

To date BBC audiences have not seen any coverage of this particular Gaza Strip electricity story.

Related Articles:

BBC sidesteps the story of PA electricity debt to Israel

 

 

 

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