Electricity prices to rise across WB to cover PA debts

A company supplying the West Bank with electricity has proposed to raise the price of electricity across the area after the PA failed to pay millions of shekels in debt, the company's director said on Friday.

Hisham al-Omari told Ma'an that the company gave the Palestinian Authority two options, either to pay the 400 million shekels ($110 million) of debt, or raise electricity tariffs to become equivalent to Israel.

Al-Omari said that the problem stems from the PA's failure to pay its debts to the company, causing the company to face issues with the Israeli regional electricity company.

The PA government is still studying the proposal, he added.

Al-Omari ruled out the possibility of disconnecting electricity to areas in the West Bank, and denied knowledge of any plans that the Israeli regional company might disconnect service to the West Bank.

He explained that there has been a decrease in the number of people paying their monthly bills on time, adding that out of a monthly total of bills amounting to 120 million shekels ($35 million), less than 70 percent are paid regularly.