The Israel Electric Corporation said Wednesday it was continuing power cuts to several Palestinian cities in Judea and Samaria to press for payment of the $519 million owed by a Palestinian electricity company.
The IEC began daily, three-hour power cuts on Sunday, a spokeswoman said, adding that the company was "determined to collect the debt but disconnects the power in a reasonable and proportionate way."
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The cuts have led to afternoon power outages in Ramallah and Bethlehem, affecting an estimated 130,000 people, said Hisham Omari, who heads the Jerusalem District Electricity Company (JDECO).
"When you have no electricity, there is no life. You stop life, you stop work, you feel the winter cold, for three hours," added Omari.
Palestinians in Judea and Samaria are largely dependent on electricity supplied by Israel.
JDECO buys electricity from IEC and then sells it to customers in the West Bank.
JDECO does not have its own power stations and relies on Israel for 95% of its energy supply. It buys the remainder from neighboring Jordan.
Omari said the company was "trying to take a 150 million shekel ($43 million) loan from a Palestinian bank to help pay off the debt."
He added that the PA was 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.
