Court rejects human rights groups' petition over Gaza fuel supplies

By DAN IZENBERG
The High Court of Justice on Thursday rejected a petition filed by nine human rights organizations which charged that the state was supplying smaller amounts of fuel than it had promised to maintain the minimum humanitarian standard of living in the Gaza Strip as required by international law. A panel of three justices headed by Supreme Court President Dorit Beinisch wrote that it was satisfied that the state was taking reasonable and appropriate measures to open the border crossings and transfer gasoline, diesel fuel and industrial diesel fuel to Gaza in keeping with its promise. The court blamed Hamas for incessantly trying to strike at the crossings and said the fighting in the area made it difficult to keep the crossings open consistently. One of the petitioners, Gisha, expressed "regret that Israel's Supreme Court has once again authorized the collective punishment of 1.5 million civilians in Gaza in violation of international law."