SOLAR ON THE ISRAELI-PALESTINE BORDER

Solar Energy Access Drives New Wedge Into Israeli-Palestinian Conflict; Israeli settlers enjoy the benefits of renewable electricity, while Palestinians struggle to keep their homes lit

Uri Blau, November 6, 2015 (TakePart)

“…In Area C, home to all the Jewish settlements on land occupied by Israel since the Six-Day War of 1967, Israel is the sovereign power on both security and civilian matters. In Area B, the Palestinian authority handles civil issues and Israel is in charge of the security aspects; Area A has reverted to full Palestinian control…The different rules translate into very different living conditions for Palestinians…[E]lectricity lines pass above the Palestinian homes, which are little more than sheds, connecting the settlers’ concrete houses to the Israeli electrical grid and the outside world…

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“The wires are a reminder of the new wedge dividing Israelis and Palestinians in the West Bank: renewable energy development. Israelis in settlements that international law says are illegal are investing in solar farms to sell electricity to Israel’s grid; meanwhile, the Israeli Civil Administration that supports the settlements places significant obstacles before Palestinians wanting to access electricity… According to the 2014 annual report of the U.N.’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the 300,000 Palestinians in Area C “are subject to a complex system of control by the Israeli authorities…[W]hen it comes to access to land, resources, or infrastructure, settlers get preferential treatment…The solar farms are the latest of these ‘facts on the ground’ and as such would advance a goal of making the settlements permanent…

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“For the settlements the solar farms are an investment: The electricity produced is sold to the state-owned Israel Electric Company for a profit and tied into Israel’s electrical grid. Foreign companies, including American ones, are involved in the projects as investors and vendors of materials and equipment…[but with the recent in violence, Palestinian kids are coming, throwing stones, and] breaking the panels…” click here for more

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