11 apr 2016
Israeli Occupation Authority (IOA) decided on Sunday to raze an electricity network in the eastern side of Beit Dajan town near Nablus for the claim of being located within the Israeli controlled C Area.
The head of the town’s council Naser Abu Jaish told the PIC reporter that the power network that feeds scores of houses and agricultural structures was constructed five years ago with a cost estimated at 120,000 shekels.
The IOA hanged the demolition notices on the electricity net pillars in the town, Abu Jaish pointed out.
The head of the town’s council Naser Abu Jaish told the PIC reporter that the power network that feeds scores of houses and agricultural structures was constructed five years ago with a cost estimated at 120,000 shekels.
The IOA hanged the demolition notices on the electricity net pillars in the town, Abu Jaish pointed out.
Gaza’s power distribution is expected to see better days as the Egyptian lines, which had been disconnected for a couple of days for maintenance, were fixed, Muhammad Thabet, head of the Public Relations Department in Gaza’s Electricity Distribution Corporation said.
Thabet said in press statements the frequent power blackouts have made the situation worse in the blockaded Gaza Strip. He added that a schedule of “six hours on, 12 hours off” is expected to be implemented.
Over the past couple of days, a breakdown in the Egyptian power lines and in Gaza’s power plant resulted in serious outages. Electricity was only available for three hours and a half per every single day.
Thabet said in press statements the frequent power blackouts have made the situation worse in the blockaded Gaza Strip. He added that a schedule of “six hours on, 12 hours off” is expected to be implemented.
Over the past couple of days, a breakdown in the Egyptian power lines and in Gaza’s power plant resulted in serious outages. Electricity was only available for three hours and a half per every single day.
10 apr 2016
Leader at the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, Zulfikar Sweirjo, held the Palestinian Authority (PA) President, Mahmoud Abbas, responsible for the power crisis rocking the blockaded Gaza Strip.
“Holding other parties responsible for the crisis doesn’t make sense,” Sweirjo said in a Facebook statement. “As long as there is a president, he is the one responsible for the crisis.”
Sweirjo slammed Abbas for turning his back to the blockaded Strip and deepening the internal rift. “Enough is enough! Stop pulling our legs! You get on our nerves!” the PFLP leader stated addressing Abbas.
Overnight Friday a breakdown hit Gaza’s sole power plant as the station ran out of needed fuel quantities, forcing the besieged enclave to endure hours of electricity blackouts. The Energy Authority attributed the breakdown to the blue tax imposed by the Palestinian Ministry of Finance and the lack of fuel reserves.
According to Sweirjo, the PA has benefited from the so-called blue tax, saying its revenues are systematically added to the PA assets after 20 days of its payment.
“Holding other parties responsible for the crisis doesn’t make sense,” Sweirjo said in a Facebook statement. “As long as there is a president, he is the one responsible for the crisis.”
Sweirjo slammed Abbas for turning his back to the blockaded Strip and deepening the internal rift. “Enough is enough! Stop pulling our legs! You get on our nerves!” the PFLP leader stated addressing Abbas.
Overnight Friday a breakdown hit Gaza’s sole power plant as the station ran out of needed fuel quantities, forcing the besieged enclave to endure hours of electricity blackouts. The Energy Authority attributed the breakdown to the blue tax imposed by the Palestinian Ministry of Finance and the lack of fuel reserves.
According to Sweirjo, the PA has benefited from the so-called blue tax, saying its revenues are systematically added to the PA assets after 20 days of its payment.
9 apr 2016
Palestinian farmers in Salfit complained about pollution of water and plants due to Israeli Ariel’s sewage which ends in al-Matwi valley to the west of the city.
The farmers complained in particular about the smell of sewage, large numbers of pigs and insects which pollute water springs and agricultural lands and cause lots of diseases to plants of the season.
Researcher Khaled Maali warned of the dangerous flow of sewage water into the groundwater and springs which constitutes an environmental problem.
Maali called on the environmental institutions to pressure the Israeli occupation authorities in order to halt polluting Palestinian resources and environment.
The farmers complained in particular about the smell of sewage, large numbers of pigs and insects which pollute water springs and agricultural lands and cause lots of diseases to plants of the season.
Researcher Khaled Maali warned of the dangerous flow of sewage water into the groundwater and springs which constitutes an environmental problem.
Maali called on the environmental institutions to pressure the Israeli occupation authorities in order to halt polluting Palestinian resources and environment.
Different areas of the besieged Gaza Strip were plunged into darkness last night after more of the power plant's turbines stopped working as a result of the fuel crisis.
The energy authority stated on Saturday that the Palestinian finance ministry's insistence on imposing the blue tax on the power plant's fuel shipments aggravated the electricity problem and increased the hours of power outages in Gaza.
The authority affirmed that it had warned a month ago against such problem and held the unity government in Ramallah and its finance ministry fully responsible for the worsening power crisis.
The energy authority stated on Saturday that the Palestinian finance ministry's insistence on imposing the blue tax on the power plant's fuel shipments aggravated the electricity problem and increased the hours of power outages in Gaza.
The authority affirmed that it had warned a month ago against such problem and held the unity government in Ramallah and its finance ministry fully responsible for the worsening power crisis.
8 apr 2016
The national electricity follow-up committee in Gaza has called on the unity government in Ramallah to completely cancel the blue tax imposed on the fuel shipments used to operate the power plant.
In a press release on Thursday, the committee held the government and its minister of finance responsible for not responding to the cabinet's decision to give the Gaza power plant a full tax exemption on its diesel supplies.
It noted that the government's decision to give the power plant a 50-percent tax cut was not enough to solve the electricity problem in Gaza.
It affirmed that enforcing the decision taken by the cabinet over exempting the power plant's diesel from the blue tax would improve the amount of electricity reaching Gaza homes and the returns coming from power consumption.
The committee also demanded the government and the ministry of finance to necessarily stop making deductions from the salaries of several employees, who processed and completed their paperwork.
In a press release on Thursday, the committee held the government and its minister of finance responsible for not responding to the cabinet's decision to give the Gaza power plant a full tax exemption on its diesel supplies.
It noted that the government's decision to give the power plant a 50-percent tax cut was not enough to solve the electricity problem in Gaza.
It affirmed that enforcing the decision taken by the cabinet over exempting the power plant's diesel from the blue tax would improve the amount of electricity reaching Gaza homes and the returns coming from power consumption.
The committee also demanded the government and the ministry of finance to necessarily stop making deductions from the salaries of several employees, who processed and completed their paperwork.
7 apr 2016
The Government of Japan has donated $7 million in support of UNICEF’s humanitarian and development response to children in Palestine.
This new grant will enable UNICEF and partners to implement interventions which are critical for children’s well-being and protection from violence, and to ensure their access to basic services such as education, water and sanitation, protection or health and nutrition.
“Given the severe circumstances facing the Palestinian children on a daily basis, the Government of Japan highly appreciates UNICEF’s interventions in various areas to protect children and improve their living conditions through providing necessary cares and increasing their access to the basic services,” said Takeshi Okubo,Ambassador for Palestinian Affairs and Representative of Japan to the Palestinian Authority.
“We feel a strong need to protect Palestinian children from violence and to improve their ed access to their basic rights and services.”
According to WAFA, Japan said that its financial support will provide opportunities to strengthen Palestinian children’s resilience and their coping mechanisms in an increasingly tense environment. It will support an integrated, multi-sector response with a focus on securing the social protection and inclusiveness.
“The Government and the people of Japan have been most valued supporters of UNICEF’s mandate to improve the lives of the most vulnerable Palestinian children for years,” said June Kunugi, UNICEF State of Palestine Special Representative.
“We are very deeply grateful for Japan’s enduring commitment and generous support which will not only provide humanitarian relief, but also encourage recovery and system building benefiting Palestinian children and their families,” Kunugi added.
The grant focuses on children from birth through adolescence, including by improving neonatal services for increased survival of newborns; helping children to access safe, drinking water and adequate sanitation services while increasing the capacity of national water information management systems.
See also: 04/06/16 UNRWA Condemns Today’s Large Scale Home Demolitions in the West Bank
This new grant will enable UNICEF and partners to implement interventions which are critical for children’s well-being and protection from violence, and to ensure their access to basic services such as education, water and sanitation, protection or health and nutrition.
“Given the severe circumstances facing the Palestinian children on a daily basis, the Government of Japan highly appreciates UNICEF’s interventions in various areas to protect children and improve their living conditions through providing necessary cares and increasing their access to the basic services,” said Takeshi Okubo,Ambassador for Palestinian Affairs and Representative of Japan to the Palestinian Authority.
“We feel a strong need to protect Palestinian children from violence and to improve their ed access to their basic rights and services.”
According to WAFA, Japan said that its financial support will provide opportunities to strengthen Palestinian children’s resilience and their coping mechanisms in an increasingly tense environment. It will support an integrated, multi-sector response with a focus on securing the social protection and inclusiveness.
“The Government and the people of Japan have been most valued supporters of UNICEF’s mandate to improve the lives of the most vulnerable Palestinian children for years,” said June Kunugi, UNICEF State of Palestine Special Representative.
“We are very deeply grateful for Japan’s enduring commitment and generous support which will not only provide humanitarian relief, but also encourage recovery and system building benefiting Palestinian children and their families,” Kunugi added.
The grant focuses on children from birth through adolescence, including by improving neonatal services for increased survival of newborns; helping children to access safe, drinking water and adequate sanitation services while increasing the capacity of national water information management systems.
See also: 04/06/16 UNRWA Condemns Today’s Large Scale Home Demolitions in the West Bank
5 apr 2016
Israel Electric Corporation (IEC) notified the Hebron municipality that it would cut power supplies to part of the occupied southern West Bank city on Tuesday over debt owed by the Palestinian Authority amounting to more than 1.7 billion shekels ($447.8 million).
Deputy mayor of Hebron Judie Abu Sneina said that IEC notified the municipality on Monday evening that they would cut power in parts of the city from 9 to 10 a.m. and from 2 to 3 p.m.
Abu Sneina referred to the IEC cuts as “political decisions to exert pressure on the Palestinian Authority,” affirming that the Hebron Electric Power Company had been fully paying the IEC for the past three years.
Over the past several days, IEC has cut off electricity to parts of the West Bank, in a move which has been denounced as constituting collective punishment.
On Monday, IEC shut down the power lines supplying electricity to the city of Bethlehem for four hours without warning the municipality, deputy mayor Issam Juha told Ma’an.
On Thursday, IEC also cut off electricity to the Jericho district. According to Jerusalem District Electricity Company (JDECO) head Hisham al-Omari, power cuts will take place across the occupied West Bank in the coming two weeks.
Power lines were expected to be shut down for two hours to towns west of Bethlehem on Wednesday, and north of Ramallah on Thursday.
JDECO filed a lawsuit against IEC in June demanding the corporation pay some 500 million shekels worth of compensation for the financial losses and damages that JDECO had suffered, which resulted of the expensive fines that the company paid to Israel for days of delay.
In May 2015, an initiative went into force to connect electricity grids in the occupied West Bank to Jordan as part of a greater move to interconnect power usage in the Arab world.
Expansion projects to the grid in the occupied West Bank comes as Palestinian dependence on Israeli electricity has been an ongoing point of contention between the two parties for years.
The contention arises partially due to massive debt owed by the Palestinian Authority to the IEC, which provides around 88 percent of total electricity consumption in the occupied Palestinian territory.
Israeli authorities have withheld tax revenues collected on behalf of the Palestinian Authority in the past over unpaid bills owed to Israeli companies.
In February 2015, IEC cut off power to the cities of Nablus and Jenin over allegedly unpaid bills.
"The outstanding payments owed to the Israeli Electric Company took a heavy toll on a struggling Palestinian fiscal situation," said Steen Lau Jorgensen, World Bank Director for West Bank and Gaza in an April 2015 report.
"The non-payment by Palestinian distribution companies and municipalities for purchased electricity has put further constraints on the Palestinian Authority's budget and has hindered economic stability," Jorgensen added.
The World Bank recommended in the report that the Palestinian Authority put more effort into reducing non-payment of electricity bills, while the Israeli Electricity Company should cooperate with its Palestinian counterparts in developing payment plans.
Deputy mayor of Hebron Judie Abu Sneina said that IEC notified the municipality on Monday evening that they would cut power in parts of the city from 9 to 10 a.m. and from 2 to 3 p.m.
Abu Sneina referred to the IEC cuts as “political decisions to exert pressure on the Palestinian Authority,” affirming that the Hebron Electric Power Company had been fully paying the IEC for the past three years.
Over the past several days, IEC has cut off electricity to parts of the West Bank, in a move which has been denounced as constituting collective punishment.
On Monday, IEC shut down the power lines supplying electricity to the city of Bethlehem for four hours without warning the municipality, deputy mayor Issam Juha told Ma’an.
On Thursday, IEC also cut off electricity to the Jericho district. According to Jerusalem District Electricity Company (JDECO) head Hisham al-Omari, power cuts will take place across the occupied West Bank in the coming two weeks.
Power lines were expected to be shut down for two hours to towns west of Bethlehem on Wednesday, and north of Ramallah on Thursday.
JDECO filed a lawsuit against IEC in June demanding the corporation pay some 500 million shekels worth of compensation for the financial losses and damages that JDECO had suffered, which resulted of the expensive fines that the company paid to Israel for days of delay.
In May 2015, an initiative went into force to connect electricity grids in the occupied West Bank to Jordan as part of a greater move to interconnect power usage in the Arab world.
Expansion projects to the grid in the occupied West Bank comes as Palestinian dependence on Israeli electricity has been an ongoing point of contention between the two parties for years.
The contention arises partially due to massive debt owed by the Palestinian Authority to the IEC, which provides around 88 percent of total electricity consumption in the occupied Palestinian territory.
Israeli authorities have withheld tax revenues collected on behalf of the Palestinian Authority in the past over unpaid bills owed to Israeli companies.
In February 2015, IEC cut off power to the cities of Nablus and Jenin over allegedly unpaid bills.
"The outstanding payments owed to the Israeli Electric Company took a heavy toll on a struggling Palestinian fiscal situation," said Steen Lau Jorgensen, World Bank Director for West Bank and Gaza in an April 2015 report.
"The non-payment by Palestinian distribution companies and municipalities for purchased electricity has put further constraints on the Palestinian Authority's budget and has hindered economic stability," Jorgensen added.
The World Bank recommended in the report that the Palestinian Authority put more effort into reducing non-payment of electricity bills, while the Israeli Electricity Company should cooperate with its Palestinian counterparts in developing payment plans.
4 apr 2016
The Israeli occupation authority (IOA) on Sunday confiscated a flock of sheep in Masafer Yatta area, south of al-Khalil.
Anti-settlement activist Rateb al-Jabour told Quds Press that employees from the Israeli civil administration and the nature and parks authority confiscated 120 heads of sheep in Masafer Yatta belonging to the citizens, Jihad and Yousuf Ismail.
He added that the sheep were taken to the 1948 occupied lands, pointing to the possibility that heavy fines could be imposed on the owners at the pretext they were herding their livestock in a restricted area.
Anti-settlement activist Rateb al-Jabour told Quds Press that employees from the Israeli civil administration and the nature and parks authority confiscated 120 heads of sheep in Masafer Yatta belonging to the citizens, Jihad and Yousuf Ismail.
He added that the sheep were taken to the 1948 occupied lands, pointing to the possibility that heavy fines could be imposed on the owners at the pretext they were herding their livestock in a restricted area.
Israel Electric Corporation (IEC) cut off power to the occupied West Bank city of Bethlehem on Monday afternoon, reportedly as a warning over the Palestinian Authority’s mounting debt.
Hisham al-Omari, the head of the Jerusalem District Electricity Company (JDECO), told Ma’an that the cut had originally been intended to take place in the city of Ramallah and al-Bireh, where most PA institutions are located.
The PA tried to dissuade IEC from carrying out cuts in the West Bank, al-Omari said, but the Israeli government-owned company decided on short notice to cut off electricity to Bethlehem instead between 2 p.m. and 6 p.m.
Deputy mayor of Bethlehem Issam Juha told Ma’an that the municipality had not been warned in advance that the cut would take place.
Al-Omari said further cuts were to take places across the West Bank in the coming two weeks, with cuts scheduled on Wednesday between 9 a.m. and 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. west of Bethlehem, including in the towns of Beit Jala and Doha, and the al-Duheisha refugee camp. Similar cuts were also expected to take place on Thursday in villages north of Ramallah, he added.
Al-Omari said the power cuts amounted to "collective punishment," adding that the electricity cuts would have a particularly negative effect on Bethlehem's economy, which relies heavily on tourism.
"It affects all the people, whether they have paid their bills or not," he told Ma'an. "The power cuts won't bring any solution to what is a political issue."
IEC cut off electricity to the Jericho district on Thursday. At the time, al-Omari said the cuts proved Israel had plans to cut power supplies to other Palestinian cities being supplied by JDECO for unpaid debts amounting to more than 1.7 billion shekels (about $450 million).
JDECO filed a lawsuit against IEC in June demanding the corporation pay some 500 million shekels worth of compensation for the financial losses and damages that JDECO had suffered, which resulted of the expensive fines that the company paid to Israel for days of delay.
In May 2015, an initiative went into force to connect electricity grids in the occupied West Bank to Jordan as part of a greater move to interconnect power usage in the Arab world.
Expansion projects to the grid in the occupied West Bank comes as Palestinian dependence on Israeli electricity has been an ongoing point of contention between the two parties for years.
The contention arises partially due to massive debt owed by the Palestinian Authority to the IEC, which provides around 88 percent of total electricity consumption in the occupied Palestinian territory.
The effects of debts accumulated to IEC are seen beyond power cuts and growing indifference by residents to paying exorbitant bills.
"The outstanding payments owed to the Israeli Electric Company took a heavy toll on a struggling Palestinian fiscal situation," said Steen Lau Jorgensen, World Bank Director for West Bank and Gaza in an April 2015 report.
"The non-payment by Palestinian distribution companies and municipalities for purchased electricity has put further constraints on the Palestinian Authority's budget and has hindered economic stability," Jorgensen added.
The World Bank recommended in the report that the Palestinian Authority put more effort into reducing non-payment of electricity bills, while the Israeli Electricity Company should cooperate with its Palestinian counterparts in developing payment plans.
Hisham al-Omari, the head of the Jerusalem District Electricity Company (JDECO), told Ma’an that the cut had originally been intended to take place in the city of Ramallah and al-Bireh, where most PA institutions are located.
The PA tried to dissuade IEC from carrying out cuts in the West Bank, al-Omari said, but the Israeli government-owned company decided on short notice to cut off electricity to Bethlehem instead between 2 p.m. and 6 p.m.
Deputy mayor of Bethlehem Issam Juha told Ma’an that the municipality had not been warned in advance that the cut would take place.
Al-Omari said further cuts were to take places across the West Bank in the coming two weeks, with cuts scheduled on Wednesday between 9 a.m. and 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. west of Bethlehem, including in the towns of Beit Jala and Doha, and the al-Duheisha refugee camp. Similar cuts were also expected to take place on Thursday in villages north of Ramallah, he added.
Al-Omari said the power cuts amounted to "collective punishment," adding that the electricity cuts would have a particularly negative effect on Bethlehem's economy, which relies heavily on tourism.
"It affects all the people, whether they have paid their bills or not," he told Ma'an. "The power cuts won't bring any solution to what is a political issue."
IEC cut off electricity to the Jericho district on Thursday. At the time, al-Omari said the cuts proved Israel had plans to cut power supplies to other Palestinian cities being supplied by JDECO for unpaid debts amounting to more than 1.7 billion shekels (about $450 million).
JDECO filed a lawsuit against IEC in June demanding the corporation pay some 500 million shekels worth of compensation for the financial losses and damages that JDECO had suffered, which resulted of the expensive fines that the company paid to Israel for days of delay.
In May 2015, an initiative went into force to connect electricity grids in the occupied West Bank to Jordan as part of a greater move to interconnect power usage in the Arab world.
Expansion projects to the grid in the occupied West Bank comes as Palestinian dependence on Israeli electricity has been an ongoing point of contention between the two parties for years.
The contention arises partially due to massive debt owed by the Palestinian Authority to the IEC, which provides around 88 percent of total electricity consumption in the occupied Palestinian territory.
The effects of debts accumulated to IEC are seen beyond power cuts and growing indifference by residents to paying exorbitant bills.
"The outstanding payments owed to the Israeli Electric Company took a heavy toll on a struggling Palestinian fiscal situation," said Steen Lau Jorgensen, World Bank Director for West Bank and Gaza in an April 2015 report.
"The non-payment by Palestinian distribution companies and municipalities for purchased electricity has put further constraints on the Palestinian Authority's budget and has hindered economic stability," Jorgensen added.
The World Bank recommended in the report that the Palestinian Authority put more effort into reducing non-payment of electricity bills, while the Israeli Electricity Company should cooperate with its Palestinian counterparts in developing payment plans.
3 apr 2016
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Palestinian fishermen on Sunday afternoon set sail within nine nautical miles at Gaza sea following an Israeli decision to extend the fishing zone off some parts of the Gaza Strip coast.
Soon as the decision took effect, Gaza fishermen were able to set sail for nine nautical miles from central Wadi Gaza to Rafah southward. Spokesperson for the Palestinian Ministry of Agriculture Fayez al-Sheikh expressed hope that the fishing season would go for the better and that the Israeli occupation would keep to its promises. Fisherman Mahdi Bakr said for the first time in several years Gaza fishermen are able to sail within nine nautical miles perimeter. |
As part of Israel's blockade of the coastal enclave since 2007, Palestinian fishermen have been forced to work within a limited six-nautical-mile fishing zone off Gaza coast.
The Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) closed on Sunday morning dozens of Palestinian commercial shops in Hawara town south of the northern West Bank city of Nablus.
Eyewitnesses affirmed to the PIC reporter that Israeli forces stormed the town in large numbers and forced the local shop owners to close their doors after an Israeli settler’s car was allegedly stoned in the area.
The IOF also threatened to take more punitive measures against the locals.
Despite living under a brutal military occupation, Palestinian towns and villages located near illegal Israeli settlements are subjected to regular attacks by Israeli settlers.
Eyewitnesses affirmed to the PIC reporter that Israeli forces stormed the town in large numbers and forced the local shop owners to close their doors after an Israeli settler’s car was allegedly stoned in the area.
The IOF also threatened to take more punitive measures against the locals.
Despite living under a brutal military occupation, Palestinian towns and villages located near illegal Israeli settlements are subjected to regular attacks by Israeli settlers.
31 mar 2016
Israel Electric Corporation (IEC) cut two-thirds of the power supply for the central West Bank district of Jericho on Thursday, said the head of the Jerusalem District Electricity Company (JDECO).
Hisham al-Omari said that JDECO had not been officially informed of the “illegal procedure.”
IEC’s decision sets a “dangerous precedent,” said al-Omari, adding that it proves Israel’s plans to cut power supplies for other Palestinian cities being supplied by JDECO for unpaid debts amounting to more than 1.7 billion shekels (about $450 million).
The IEC told Haaretz that the power cuts in Jericho were a direct result of the fact that the district also receives electricity from Jordan.
Al-Omari called upon the Palestinian government and power authority to immediately intervene to stop the illegal procedure that could do great damage and suffering to those living in the affected areas and called upon institutions and clients to pay their debts.
“Our first priority is to provide electricity services to Palestinian (individuals) and institutions, especially health utilities, hospitals, and emergency (services), and we aim to avoid any cut offs,” he added.
JDECO filed a lawsuit against IEC in June demanding the corporation pay some 500 million shekels worth of compensation for the financial losses and damages that JDECO had suffered, which were result of the expensive fines that the company paid to Israel for days of delay.
In May 2015, an initiative went into force to connect electricity grids in the occupied West Bank to Jordan as part of a greater move to interconnect power usage in the Arab world.
Expansion projects to the grid in the occupied West Bank comes as Palestinian dependence on Israeli electricity has been an ongoing point of contention between the two parties for years.
The contention arises partially due to massive debt owed by the Palestinian Authority to the IEC, which provides around 88 percent of total electricity consumption in the occupied Palestinian territory.
The effects of debts accumulated to IEC are seen beyond power cuts and growing indifference by residents to paying exorbitant bills.
"The outstanding payments owed to the Israeli Electric Company took a heavy toll on a struggling Palestinian fiscal situation," said Steen Lau Jorgensen, World Bank Director for West Bank and Gaza in an April 2015 report.
"The non-payment by Palestinian distribution companies and municipalities for purchased electricity has put further constraints on the Palestinian Authority's budget and has hindered economic stability," Jorgensen added.
The World Bank recommended in the report that the Palestinian Authority put more effort into reducing non-payment of electricity bills, while the Israeli Electricity Company should cooperate with its Palestinian counterparts in developing payment plans.
Hisham al-Omari said that JDECO had not been officially informed of the “illegal procedure.”
IEC’s decision sets a “dangerous precedent,” said al-Omari, adding that it proves Israel’s plans to cut power supplies for other Palestinian cities being supplied by JDECO for unpaid debts amounting to more than 1.7 billion shekels (about $450 million).
The IEC told Haaretz that the power cuts in Jericho were a direct result of the fact that the district also receives electricity from Jordan.
Al-Omari called upon the Palestinian government and power authority to immediately intervene to stop the illegal procedure that could do great damage and suffering to those living in the affected areas and called upon institutions and clients to pay their debts.
“Our first priority is to provide electricity services to Palestinian (individuals) and institutions, especially health utilities, hospitals, and emergency (services), and we aim to avoid any cut offs,” he added.
JDECO filed a lawsuit against IEC in June demanding the corporation pay some 500 million shekels worth of compensation for the financial losses and damages that JDECO had suffered, which were result of the expensive fines that the company paid to Israel for days of delay.
In May 2015, an initiative went into force to connect electricity grids in the occupied West Bank to Jordan as part of a greater move to interconnect power usage in the Arab world.
Expansion projects to the grid in the occupied West Bank comes as Palestinian dependence on Israeli electricity has been an ongoing point of contention between the two parties for years.
The contention arises partially due to massive debt owed by the Palestinian Authority to the IEC, which provides around 88 percent of total electricity consumption in the occupied Palestinian territory.
The effects of debts accumulated to IEC are seen beyond power cuts and growing indifference by residents to paying exorbitant bills.
"The outstanding payments owed to the Israeli Electric Company took a heavy toll on a struggling Palestinian fiscal situation," said Steen Lau Jorgensen, World Bank Director for West Bank and Gaza in an April 2015 report.
"The non-payment by Palestinian distribution companies and municipalities for purchased electricity has put further constraints on the Palestinian Authority's budget and has hindered economic stability," Jorgensen added.
The World Bank recommended in the report that the Palestinian Authority put more effort into reducing non-payment of electricity bills, while the Israeli Electricity Company should cooperate with its Palestinian counterparts in developing payment plans.
The Palestinian mobile sector has lost more than $1 billion in revenue between 2013 and 2015, according to a new report by the World Bank.
The World Bank listed several constraints that contributed to heavy losses sustained by mobile telecoms companies in the Palestinian territory, including the presence of unauthorized Israeli operators in the Palestinian market and Israeli restrictions placed on the import of equipment for telecom and ICT companies into the territory.
Years of delay in mobile broadband and a lack of an independent regulator have also taken a heavy toll on the sector.
The direct impact of the struggling telecoms sector on the economy was estimated to represent up to three percent of the Palestinian Authority’s total GDP. The Palestinian Authority's fiscal losses for the same three-year period were as high as $184 million, the report said.
"With unemployment rate at 26 percent, the Palestinian telecom sector has the potential to boost the economy and create job opportunities," the report quoted Steen Lau Jorgensen, World Bank Country Director for West Bank and Gaza as saying. "In order for that to happen, Palestinian operators should be able to access similar resources as their neighbors."
In November, Israel and the Palestinian Authority signed an agreement to enable long-awaited 3G mobile access in the occupied Palestinian territory.
Israel had so far refused to provide mobile phone operators with additional 2G frequencies, let alone 3G or 4G technology, which was offered to six Israeli companies in January 2015.
Despite last year’s agreement, “Palestinian operators remain at a competitive disadvantage because Israeli operators have 3G and 4G capabilities and are able to attract higher value customers,” the World Bank said.
Over 20 percent of the market volume in the occupied West Bank is captured by unauthorized Israeli operators, according to the report, largely due to the fact that Palestinian companies do not have access to the more than 60 percent under Israeli military control known as Area C.
Palestinian mobile operators are also required to go through an Israeli-registered company to access international links.
“While international practices commend competition in the sector, the second Palestinian mobile operator Wataniya has not been able to start its operations in Gaza due to Israeli restrictions on accessing spectrum and importing material. As a result, Gaza remains a mobile-monopoly market structure,” informed the World Bank.
The lack of access to 3G mobile technology in the occupied Palestinian territory has long provided an added obstacle to economic and technological growth. A report released last year by the Palestinian think tank Al-Shabaka said that operators in Palestine lost an estimated $80 to $100 million annually as a result of the lack of 3G.
The World Bank listed several constraints that contributed to heavy losses sustained by mobile telecoms companies in the Palestinian territory, including the presence of unauthorized Israeli operators in the Palestinian market and Israeli restrictions placed on the import of equipment for telecom and ICT companies into the territory.
Years of delay in mobile broadband and a lack of an independent regulator have also taken a heavy toll on the sector.
The direct impact of the struggling telecoms sector on the economy was estimated to represent up to three percent of the Palestinian Authority’s total GDP. The Palestinian Authority's fiscal losses for the same three-year period were as high as $184 million, the report said.
"With unemployment rate at 26 percent, the Palestinian telecom sector has the potential to boost the economy and create job opportunities," the report quoted Steen Lau Jorgensen, World Bank Country Director for West Bank and Gaza as saying. "In order for that to happen, Palestinian operators should be able to access similar resources as their neighbors."
In November, Israel and the Palestinian Authority signed an agreement to enable long-awaited 3G mobile access in the occupied Palestinian territory.
Israel had so far refused to provide mobile phone operators with additional 2G frequencies, let alone 3G or 4G technology, which was offered to six Israeli companies in January 2015.
Despite last year’s agreement, “Palestinian operators remain at a competitive disadvantage because Israeli operators have 3G and 4G capabilities and are able to attract higher value customers,” the World Bank said.
Over 20 percent of the market volume in the occupied West Bank is captured by unauthorized Israeli operators, according to the report, largely due to the fact that Palestinian companies do not have access to the more than 60 percent under Israeli military control known as Area C.
Palestinian mobile operators are also required to go through an Israeli-registered company to access international links.
“While international practices commend competition in the sector, the second Palestinian mobile operator Wataniya has not been able to start its operations in Gaza due to Israeli restrictions on accessing spectrum and importing material. As a result, Gaza remains a mobile-monopoly market structure,” informed the World Bank.
The lack of access to 3G mobile technology in the occupied Palestinian territory has long provided an added obstacle to economic and technological growth. A report released last year by the Palestinian think tank Al-Shabaka said that operators in Palestine lost an estimated $80 to $100 million annually as a result of the lack of 3G.
30 mar 2016
The Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) arrested late Tuesday five Palestinian youths from Hawara town south of northern West Bank city of Nablus.
Eyewitnesses told a PIC reporter that Israeli forces stormed the town and violently launched a raid and search campaign that targeted a number of local houses. Five youths were detained during the campaign, the sources added.
IOS soldiers had stormed the town earlier on Tuesday morning and closed local shops under the pretext that stones were thrown at a number of Israeli settlers’ vehicles in the vicinity of Hawara.
Eyewitnesses told a PIC reporter that Israeli forces stormed the town and violently launched a raid and search campaign that targeted a number of local houses. Five youths were detained during the campaign, the sources added.
IOS soldiers had stormed the town earlier on Tuesday morning and closed local shops under the pretext that stones were thrown at a number of Israeli settlers’ vehicles in the vicinity of Hawara.