Jordan seeks to expand power supplies to West Bank – The Peninsula

Jordan seeks to expand power supplies to West Bank – The Peninsula

AMMAN: Jordan said on Wednesday it had doubled the electricity sold to the occupied West Bank city of Jericho to 80 megawatts, helping reduce its reliance on power supplied by Israel as part of a broader goal to bolster Palestinian independence.

The extra supplies come from a power station in the Jordan Valley linked to an existing Palestinian grid run by the Palestinian Authority, which runs parts of the West Bank.

Jordan and the Palestinian Authority have sought to expand ties under interim peace accords signed with Israel in the 1990s, but accuse Israel of creating obstructions, a charge Israel denies.

"Jordan supports our goal to gradually end dependency imposed on us by the (Israeli) occupation in trade, infrastructure, water, energy, among others," said Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh during a ceremony attended by his Jordanian counterpart at the power station.

"(This) helps to diversify our sources of energy," he added.

Jordan, which ruled the West Bank and East Jerusalem before it was captured by Israel in the 1967 Arab-Israeli War, resumed supplying power to Jericho in the Jordan Valley nearly a decade ago.

The kingdom has extensive trade and business ties with Palestinians, many of whom have relatives in Jordan, a country where a majority