JERUSALEM, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- A senior official from the state-owned Israel Electric Corporation (IEC) said on Thursday that the company would impose blackouts on certain areas in the West Bank next week in response to a debt of more than 150 million U.S. dollars owed by the Palestinian Authority to the company.
"The IEC has the right to disconnect power ... a right that has been approved by the Supreme Court," said Oren Helman, senior vice president for customer service and regulation at the IEC.
"The restrictions will be carried out proportionately, in a meticulous manner with proper advance notice," he added.
The East Jerusalem Electricity Company has been alerted several times to this intention, Helman noted.
The Palestinians are dependent on Israel for electricity. The East Jerusalem Electricity Company buys electricity from the IEC and sells it to the Palestinian Authority.
According to Israeli media reports, the blackouts will hit the West Bank cities of Ramallah and Bethlehem and certain parts of East Jerusalem.
Israel captured the West Bank territories in the 1967 Middle East war. Most of the international community does not recognize Israeli rule in those areas which the Palestinians see as part of their future state.
As part of interim agreements signed between Israel and Palestine, Israel collects more than 150 million dollars of custom duties on goods that reach Palestinian markets through Israeli ports and crossings every month on behalf of the Palestinian Authority. However, Israel sometimes do not transfer the funds in an attempt to pressure the Palestinians.
This will not be the first time the Palestinians suffer reduced power supply from the Israelis.
In 2018, the IEC and the Palestinian Authority reached an agreement over the debt that was supposed to see an end to power cuts. The Palestinian Authority often falls behind with payments. Enditem