What would happen if Israel bombed Lebanon's power stations tomorrow? For many Lebanese, it would make little difference. For 15 years, Israeli officials have threatened to "push Lebanon back to the Stone Age," but Lebanon got there on its own. With electricity available for just four hours daily, Lebanese citizens have turned to alternative solutions, triggering a massive wave of solar panel installations. From zero solar energy production in 2010, Lebanon reached a capacity of 90 megawatts by 2020, then surged by another 600 megawatts in the following two years.
Gaza tells a similar story. In the past decade, residents installed over 9,000 independent solar systems on rooftops, reducing their reliance on the already limited power supply. Meanwhile, Hamas equipped their tunnels with generators and stockpiled fuel. In June, Israel had to directly connect Gaza's desalination plants to its power grid to avoid sending fuel trucks that armed groups were hijacking. While cutting off central power still matters, the trend is clear: as energy sources become more scattered, smaller, private, and affordable, their strategic value diminishes. If this pattern exists in enemy territory, consider what it means for Israel's capital.
Walk along the seam between west and east Jerusalem, down Salah ad-Din or Sultan Suleiman streets, and you'll spot signs advertising rooftop solar installations. The sponsors? The European Union and the UN Development Agency. When the project launched in 2016, EU Representative Ralph Tarraf was candid about its true purpose: "This isn't just about infrastructure and economic development – it's about preserving Palestinian identity in east Jerusalem." The Muslim Waqf later took charge of maintaining these solar panels.
The European Commission's 2018 "annual action program in favor of Palestine for 2018, including one action on budget 2019 and 2020" revealed Palestinian autonomy as its core aim: "The Commission adopted the joint European strategy to support Palestine towards a democratic, accountable and sustainable Palestinian state." Among its priorities: "improving access to water and energy" in east Jerusalem to "strengthen Palestinian residents' resilience and maintain the city's Palestinian character."
While comprehensive data about the scope of this phenomenon in east Jerusalem is lacking, a recently published study offers insight into attempts to bolster energy independence through foreign funding, and what appears to be its failure. The researchers, Dr. Elai Rettig from Bar-Ilan University and Professor Lior Herman from The Hebrew University of Jerusalem conducted 25 interviews with key figures in these projects to understand why authorities cooperate with initiatives that seemingly undermine their sovereignty. According to the study, aerial photograph analysis confirms the growth of rooftop solar panels over the past decade, but exact numbers are difficult to obtain due to the extensive illegal construction in east Jerusalem. According to Dr. Rettig, east Jerusalem is nowhere near achieving energy independence.
Who's funding these initiatives? The list is long: the EU, two UN agencies, the US, Norway, Sweden, Austria, France, Qatar, and Turkey. All have been involved in various east Jerusalem infrastructure projects. According to the research, Europeans particularly favored providing loans for rooftop solar panels, viewing them as small-scale projects unlikely to draw opposition from authorities.
An east Jerusalem manager at a UN agency explained the rationale: "Electricity is the backbone of independence. For me, it's more important than the Temple Mount. You can't be 100% dependent on Israel. This is about the future of the people, and it aligns perfectly with the two-state solution." An EU Commission diplomat told researchers: "We're working to ensure the viability of a two-state solution, and energy infrastructure is part of that strategy... You can't build a state without energy or water."
"Collecting garbage is sovereignty"
Jerusalem Deputy Mayor Aryeh King offers a contrasting view: "It's our responsibility to develop east Jerusalem's infrastructure because building infrastructure equals sovereignty. Collecting sewage and garbage is sovereignty. If we don't do it, we legitimize others stepping in." As with education, public transportation, and many other aspects, the governance vacuum in east Jerusalem has sparked a contest between those seeking to unify the city and those working to preserve it as a future Palestinian capital. Nearly six decades after unification, the Jordanian-established East Jerusalem Electric Company still handles power distribution (using Israeli electricity) in east Jerusalem, Ramallah, Jericho, and Bethlehem.
According to Rettig and Herman's paper, this vacuum is typical of many "divided cities" worldwide, like Nicosia, Beirut, or Belfast. It often stems from fear of local violence against authority representatives. "We can't enter for repairs without heavy security," Jerusalem's Water utility company official was quoted saying. "They throw stones when we dig. When we try to collect debts using Arab employees, they receive death threats. Everyone knows where they live." A Jerusalem municipal official added: "No manager would send their worker to fix power lines or water meters in Silwan and risk them coming back in a body bag."
Faced with this reality, foreign governments have embraced solar energy funding: The UN promotes solar panel installation in Bosnia; Germans fund a project in Kirkuk, Iraq; Japanese support non-Shiite areas of Beirut; and the EU works for energy independence in Northern Cyprus. However, the Jerusalem branch of this phenomenon appears to have failed. After initial success installing solar panels, primarily on public buildings in east Jerusalem, progress stalled. A senior EU Commission diplomat admitted: "We realized renewable energy in Jerusalem wouldn't take off as a long-term strategy for energy independence. We discovered that renewable energy initiatives to strengthen Palestinian autonomy and independence had limited success."
The Commission's next strategy document, for 2021-2024, dropped these projects entirely, redirecting funding to renewable energy in Gaza or Palestinian Authority areas. The main reason? Difficulty convincing east Jerusalem residents to install the panels. Many homes there access electricity illegally from neighbors, making them unreceptive to talks about "cost reduction" or "energy efficiency." Additionally, many suspected the initiative was an Israeli government ploy to inspect homes for unauthorized construction.
Another challenge: solar installations require regular maintenance. "None of my contractors would dare enter Shuafat and other neighborhoods," a director of a real estate company in Jerusalem explained. "They might attack my worker. I need to convince the population that these solar roofs belong to them, not to Jews." Moreover, the Jerusalem District Electricity Company claims the initiative hurts their profitability and increases their dependence on Israel's electric company.
The rise and apparent fall of solar power in east Jerusalem tells a broader story. Technological advances are enabling people worldwide to reduce their reliance on governments. Postal services, once the crown jewel of government services in the 19th century, are now largely provided by private companies. No one views this as negative, even though governments can no longer threaten to block information flow through their control of mail ships. In fact, that's the advantage.
There's a lesson here for authorities too. Infrastructure vacuums tend to fill quickly. If Jerusalem's unification was the goal, it should have been implemented comprehensively. If disconnecting from Gaza becomes the choice, it should be absolute. The alternative? Foreign entities with their own agendas trying to complete the circuit on their terms.
