Ghazi Hamad, the former deputy foreign minister in the Hamas government, was appointed director of the Energy Authority in the Gaza Strip on March 1. In his new position, he has been entrusted with the most important mission in the Gaza Strip: to find magic solutions to alleviate the shortages of electricity, fuel and gas. On Jan. 12, Gazans protested over the electricity shortage and cast the blame on Hamas. The demonstrations were dispersed by force, but the movement’s leaders understood that their regime could be in danger if they do not solve the energy shortage crisis.
It appears that Hamad will not be able to fully resolve the energy shortages that have plagued the Gaza Strip for more than a decade. However, even Israel’s civil administration staff understands that Hamad is the right person for the job.
The electricity problem in Gaza is also of supreme concern to the Israeli security system. For instance, in the Feb. 28 report about the 2014 Gaza war, State Comptroller Joseph Shapira issued a “warning ticket” to the Israeli government for ignoring past and present alerts of the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories regarding the humanitarian crisis looming over Gaza. Head of Military Intelligence Maj. Gen. Herzl Halevy also joined the list of cautioners when he said that a humanitarian crisis in Gaza was inevitable unless appropriate steps would be taken immediately. These remarks were part of a security overview that Halevy delivered at the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee on March 1.
Indeed, the first step needed to avert such a crisis is to implement swift, effective solutions to the severe electrical shortage that has closed down most of Gaza’s manufacturing sector. Many owners of businesses, large and small — who miraculously succeeded in surviving all the crises, restrictions and wars since the blockade was imposed in 2007 — are now in real danger of bankruptcy. And if they fall, nothing will be able to halt the Gaza Strip’s economic collapse. As a result, a solution to the electricity crisis has become a supreme Israeli interest as well.
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