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Israel cuts power to West Bank cities for second time

Xinhua, February 25, 2015 Adjust font size:

Israel Electric Corporation (IEC) said it will cut the power supply to major Palestinian cities in the West Bank on Wednesday afternoon for a second time in two days, due to an unpaid debt by the Palestinian National Authority.

An IEC spokesperson said in a statement sent to Xinhua that the company will temporarily "restrict power flow to the West Bank cities of Ramallah and Jenin today at 2:00 p.m. (12:00 GMT)."

According to the Israeli Ha'aretz newspaper, the Palestinians were given an advance warning of only about an hour.

On Monday, the power supply was cut to the town of Jenin and Nablus for 45 minutes, over an unpaid debt of 2 billion shekels (nearly 500 million U.S. dollars) by the Palestinian Authority and the east Jerusalem Electric Company.

The east Jerusalem Electricity company is a Palestinian company buying electricity from the IEC then selling it to the Palestinian Authority.

The IEC said it would cut power to Palestinian areas for 45 minutes daily until the debt is settled.

Although the move may be seen as strictly business, it does require the authorization of the political leadership in Israel.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories had in the past opposed such a move.

Palestinians living in the West Bank territories under Israel's occupation following the 1967 Mideast War, or in east Jerusalem in territories Israel annexed following that war, depend on electricity supplied by the IEC.

The Palestinians face major financial difficulties as Israel had last month stopped transferring tax money it collects on behalf of the Palestinians to the Palestinian National Authority, estimated at around 100 million dollars.

Israel's move came after the Palestinian Authority decided to join a number of international agreements, including the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, which could potentially make Israeli military and political leaders face war crimes charges. Endit