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Attorney general halts plans to cut electricity to Gaza

The Israeli attorney general halted the government's plans to cut back on electricity to the Gaza Strip, demanding more work be done to prevent humanitarian harm.

Meni Mazuz's decision on Monday came after 10 human rights groups petitioned Israel's Supreme Court to stop the cutbacks on the grounds that they constitute collective punishment violating UN principles.

On Sunday, Israel reduced fuel supplies to Gaza, but government officials said that the planned electricity cuts would have to await the outcome of the court case.

Last month the Israeli government declared Gaza a "hostile entity" and approved the plan for cutoffs in an effort to halt the daily rocket barrages into southern Israel.

Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak gave the final go-ahead for the sanctions last week.

The Justice Ministry said in a statement late on Monday that Mazuz determined that "in the case of electricity cutoff, more staff work needs to be done by the defense establishment to determine the possibility of implementing this measure to comply with the government decision in the matter, which qualified these measures over humanitarian harm to the civilian population."

The government has until tomorrow to respond to the petition by the human rights groups. The Israeli court did not accept their appeal for an immediate injunction to halt the measures.

The EU criticized Israel's decision to cut back fuel and electricity supplies to Gaza on Monday, calling the measures collective punishment.

EU commissioner for external relations Benita Ferrero-Waldner said she was "very concerned" about the decision during a visit to Jerusalem on Monday.

While noting the "distress" caused to Israelis by Palestinian rocket fire, she said: "I think collective punishment is never a solution."

She said she had told Israeli officials: "We don't want the population to suffer."
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