Why some Palestinians don't trust new electricity deal with Israel
The Palestinian Authority and Israel signed an agreement to partially solve the electricity problem Palestinians have been suffering from for years.
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — The Israeli government and the Palestinian Authority have reached an agreement under which the PA will begin paying its massive debt to Israel Electric Corp. (IEC), which in turn will forgive part of the debt. The agreement also will allow for competitive internet service in the West Bank.
Hussein al-Sheikh, the chairman of the Palestinian General Authority for Civil Affairs, said in a Sept. 14 press release that the deal will affect the organization of the energy and communication sectors in Palestine. Wataniya Mobile will begin operating in the Gaza Strip, 3G wireless internet access will be activated in both the West Bank and Gaza Strip by the end of 2016, and the Palestinian government will assume management of the electricity sector.
The agreement also allows the Palestinian government to take back full control of the power lines scattered across the West Bank, and calls for temporarily lowering the electricity tariff by 1.5% until a final tariff agreement is reached.
Palestinian company Jerusalem District Electricity Co. purchases electricity from IEC, and distributes it in and around Jerusalem. The PA distributes electricity to the rest of the West Bank areas and some of the Gaza Strip.
