Amid defiance on the part of Hamas and endurance by the population, no end seems in sight to the policy of starving the Palestinians into submission, writes Erica Silverman Standing before a giant banner that read, "We will not sign", and crowned with an image of an agreement surrounded by piles of cash, Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh cried, "Tell the world we will not sign, we will continue the resistance, and we will not recognise Israel!" "There can be no recognition of the legality of occupation!" The message rung out over loudspeakers before more than 10,000 Palestinians in Gaza City's football stadium during a Friday rally in support of the Hamas-led government. "There are several scenarios, such as a technocrat government, or early elections, but they all lead to one thing, removing Hamas from the government," said Haniyeh, indicating that Hamas will not relinquish power. Hamas rejects the conditions of the Quartet (EU, US, UN and Russia). These include renouncing armed resistance, recognising Israel, and respecting all previous agreements struck between parties to the Israeli- Palestinian conflict. The Palestinian government is also particularly irked by the EU's prompting of economic sanctions that have crushed the Palestinian economy. Haniyeh reiterated his intent to form a government of national unity between Fatah and Hamas based on the so-called "Prisoners' Document", and called on the leadership of Hamas and Fatah to hold an immediate meeting to end inter- Palestinian conflict. Fifteen Palestinians died this week due to factional violence. Government spokesperson Ghazi Hamad told Al-Ahram Weekly that Hamas's new strategy to form a unity government would be "to respect all decisions taken by the Arab League". Earlier Hamas agreed to accept the Saudi-proposed "Arab Initiative", but then backtracked after its Damascus leadership rejected the decision. Meanwhile, Rafah, Gaza's only passenger crossing, opened briefly last Thursday and Friday, leading to another display of human tragedy. Crowds rushed to the terminal clutching foreign visas and begging Palestinian Authority (PA) police officers to let them pass. An infirm, elderly man seeking medical care in Egypt repeatedly asked if there was a telephone number he could call to see when the border would be open to him. Hundreds of medical patients and students were turned away. All border crossings to the Gaza Strip were sealed shut on 25 June after an Israeli soldier was kidnapped by Hamas resistance fighters. They have since been opened only sporadically Lieutenant General Keith Dayton, US security coordinator in the West Bank and Gaza, and Italian Brigadier General Pietro Pistolese, head of the EU Border Assistance Mission (BAM) at Rafah, warned Israeli Defence Minister Amir Peretz that the borders must be opened in order for the EU mission to continue. US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice also stressed that Gaza's crossings should be open during her visit to the region last week. Rice brokered the "Agreement on Movement and Access" in Jerusalem last November. Gaza's crossings were supposed to be open continuously under the agreement but were mostly closed even before the Hamas-led government was sworn into office. The US has proposed a $20 million plan to upgrade the infrastructure and security procedures at Karni, Gaza's only commercial crossing, and to bolster President Mahmoud Abbas's Presidential Guard. "As the security coordinator, the US is trying to create an environment conducive for the Israelis and Palestinians to implement the Agreement on Movement and Access," said a Western diplomat in Jerusalem. The US is seeking donor support, said the diplomat, but it is unclear when the project will commence. The goal is to allow the flow of imports and exports to Gaza, particularly before the November harvest. Another crisis is looming over Gaza. The PA Ministry of Finance is considering a move to cancel the PA's contract with Israeli fuel supplier Dor Alon as of 1 January, taking Paz Oil Company, also Israeli, as their new supplier. Dor Alon has been providing fuel to the Palestinian territories under an exclusive contract concluded before Hamas took office. Acting Finance Minster Samir Abu Eisha (Omar Abdul-Razik remains incarcerated by Israel) claims the new contract would save the government nearly $18 million and has presented it to Abbas's economic advisor, Mohamed Mustafa, for review. "Dor was exploiting the PA with high prices," and there were "under the table deals between the PA and Dor", said one informed source, justifying the shift to Paz. EU officials are concerned the deal could create a situation in which the average Palestinian family does not have access to fuel. Dor owns the pipelines located at Nahal Oz checkpoint and Israeli military base, along the Gaza-Israel border. Fuel delivered from Paz would enter Gaza via Karni, subject to numerous security checks and Karni's closure. Paz has promised to build pipelines, but the timetable is unclear, as is who would pay to secure deliveries. EU officials who oversee the implementation of the Temporary International Mechanism (TIM) -- a negotiated means to alleviate the humanitarian strain of the US-led embargo on the Palestinian Hamas government -- fear the deal could jeopardise the security of fuel distribution. Nearly 300,000 litres of fuel are distributed to more than 200 delivery points in Gaza every week to power hospitals, banks, water and sanitation systems, among other facilities. If Gazan residents are desperate for fuel, these deliveries could be at risk. The PA owes Dor 435 million shekels (approximately $100 million) and has asked Israel to use the more than $450 million withheld in tax revenue owed to the PA to cover the bill, according to a UN official who agreed to speak on condition of anonymity. Palestinian civil servants have gone unpaid for nearly seven months after Israel's decision to withhold $54 million per month in PA tax revenue. Israel is considering using the TIM to transfer the tax revenue. Dor has been flexible with the PA's late payments, but Paz has stipulated payment must be received within 10 days, otherwise interest starts accruing, according to a UN official. President Abbas's office is reviewing the proposal, but it seems the Ministry of Finance will make the final decision. On the ground, fuel supplies in the West Bank and Gaza are dangerously low with gas stations shutting down. Ali Abu Juba, owner of one of the largest fuel distributors in Gaza, received half of his normal shipment Sunday. "Gaza distributors pay the PA and the payments never make their way to Dor. I blame the PA," said Abu Juba. Supplies are at zero, he warns. Officials in Gaza are concerned that a fuel shortage could be disastrous in the winter months ahead. Many Gazan residents are still without electricity after Israel bombed Gaza's sole power station 28 June. Former US president Jimmy Carter released a statement Friday criticising the Quartet's policy of political and economic isolation against the Palestinian government. "The attempt to coerce Hamas leaders by starving the Palestinian people has failed, and it is time for the international community to alleviate their suffering and resort to diplomacy," said Carter.
