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Israel cutting power to West Bank Palestinians over debt
[IsraelTimes] The Israel Electric Corporation says it is cutting power to several Paleostinian cities in the West Bank, citing the Paleostinian electric company’s outstanding debt, which it says amounts to $519 million.
Hisham Omari, the head of the Jerusalem District Electricity Company (JDECO), the main Paleostinian electric company, says there have been afternoon power outages affecting some 130,000 people in Ramallah and Bethlehem. "When you have no electricity, there is no life. You stop life, you stop work, you feel the winter cold, for three hours," Omari is quoted as saying. Go ahead, have a charcoal fire inside
JDECO buys electricity from IEC and then sells it to customers in the West Bank, where the Palestinian Authority has limited self-rule under interim peace deals with Israel. JDECO does not have its own power stations and relies on Israel for 95 percent of its energy supply. It buys the remainder from neighboring Jordan. Omari said the company was “trying to take a 150 million shekels ($43.25 million) loan from a Palestinian bank to help pay off the debt.” He added that the PA is negotiating with Israel to reschedule JDECO’s debt payments and end the power cuts. The Palestinians have tried to reduce what they call their dependence on Israel for energy, in part through state and private sector funded solar energy projects and plans to build their own power plants. Posted by: trailing wife 2019-12-19 |
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