The Israeli Supreme Court yesterday issued a temporary order to ban the Israeli Electricity Corporation (IEC) from cutting power supplies to the Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.
The Supreme Court’s decision comes in the wake of a petition filed by Jerusalem District Electricity Company which supplies several areas in the West Bank with electricity. The company said the electricity cuts were a form of collective punishment against Palestinians.
The IEC announced that it respects the Supreme Court’s decision.
The Israeli electricity company had reduced its power supply to the Jerusalem District Electricity Company, leading to power outages in the towns and villages around Bethlehem and Ramallah.
Israeli Electricity Corporation claims that this procedure was due to debts owed by the Jerusalem District Electricity Company, which amount to 1.4 billion shekels (£0.26 billion).