Israel’s state-owned electric company temporarily cut electrical power to two Palestinian cities to protest the Palestinian government’s failure to pay.
The Israel Electric Corp., saying it was owed approximately $500 million, reduced power in Nablus and Jenin for 45 minutes on Feb. 23, Reuters reported. Nablus Mayor Ghassan Al-Shaka called the power cut “collective punishment.”
Palestinian officials in Nablus told the French news agency AFP that thousands of homes were affected and denied that the government owed more than $12.5 million. — jta