Security Official Warns of Repercussions of Cutting Palestinian Power

Plans announced by Israel’s national electric company to initiate power cuts to the Palestinian Authority because of its failure to pay it debt has met with a warning from a top security official that such a move is not merely commercial in nature, but a strategic one and a matter of national diplomacy. In response to unpaid back billings amounting to $458 million, the Israel Electric Company (IEC) has said it would black-out power in the West Bank and east Jerusalem for two hours per day until the debt is paid. IEC has already filed a lawsuit to recover the outstanding debt. The newspaper Haaretz is reporting that the army officer responsible for the administration of Palestinian areas sent a letter to the IEC warning that the planned power cuts has implications that fall outside of the company itself including accusations of collective punishment and triggering a violent response by the Palestinians.