Palestinians say denial of supplies to Gaza is a war crime (Extra)

Oct 24, 2007, 13:08 GMT

Ramallah - A decision by Israel to cut back on electricity and fuel supplies to the Gaza Strip was a 'war crime' and 'collective punishment,' Palestinian officials said Wednesday.

'This is not acceptable under any circumstances,' chief negotiator Saeb Erekat said. He called on the international community to intervene to stop such measures.

Israel said Wednesday morning it would start gradually implementing the cut backs next week, if near-daily rocket attacks on Israeli towns and villages from the Gaza Strip did not stop.

Erekat said he has sent a message to all members of the Mideast quartet - the United States, Russia, the European Union and the United Nations - urging them 'to put a stop to even Israeli threats to use fuel and medicine against unarmed civilians.'

The Palestinian government said in a statement that the Israeli decision 'is considered collective punishment against our people in the Gaza Strip.'

'The Palestinian government takes this threat very seriously and with great worry because it could worsen what is already a bad situation in the Gaza Strip,' the statement said.