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Palestinians' Unpaid Electric Bills Mount Up
(New York Times) Diaa Hadid - The Palestinians continue to rely on Israel for critical utilities, including more than 170 electricity lines that power the West Bank. Palestinian officials are supposed to guarantee electricity payments from the West Bank, east Jerusalem and Gaza, but unpaid electric bills now total $430 million. The World Bank estimated in November that Palestinians had failed to pay for 58% of the power they used in 2013, up from 37% in 2010. About 40% of the power debt is from Gaza, where Hamas has ruled since 2007. The World Bank says Hamas collects payments from Gaza residents but refuses to hand the money over to the Palestinian Authority.