Israel ignores PA request to cut electricity supply to Gaza

Despite a request from the Palestinian Authority, Israel is not reducing the supply of electricity to the Gaza Strip over unpaid bills.

The West Bank-based PA had asked Israel on June 1 to begin halving the amount of electricity supplied to the Palestinian territory amid an escalating struggle for dominance with its Gaza rival, the Hamas terrorist group.

But in a twist, Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz this week refused the request, and blocked further electrify cuts to the Palestinian territory.

He said Israel should not be drawn into an internal Palestinian problem, but his decision effectively shields Hamas, Israel’s enemy, against the internationally backed PA.