Israel today disconnected electricity supplied to 19 Palestinian villages and towns, located to the southwest of the northern West Bank district of Jenin, said a municipal source.
Mayor of Yabad Amjad Atatra confirmed that Israeli occupation authorities disconnected power supplied to the franchise areas of Yabad Electricity Authority (YEA), impacting a population of 55,000 in 19 towns and villages purportedly over unpaid debts.
Atatra added that the power outage went into effect at 12:00 PM and affirmed that the YEA and the municipality have all the required legal documents that refute Israeli allegations on unpaid debts.
Meanwhile, YEA Chairman Mohammad Abu Baker denied that YEA is indebted to the Israeli electricity supplier since YEA pays the electricity bill on a monthly basis as attested in the bank transfers.
He pointed out that the electricity cut is deliberately intended to force the heads of the local councils of the affected villages to circumvent the Palestinian Authority and establish contact with the Israeli authorities following the Palestinian leadership’s decision to cease all forms of coordination with Israel.
