Gaza again faces blackouts - not because of Israel

From Ma'an:

The sole operating power plant in the Gaza Strip is having a difficult time collecting revenue as the finance ministry in Ramallah is refusing to transfer funds, an official in Gaza said Sunday.

Head of the energy authority Kanan Ubeid said "we have a deficit of 50 percent from the total procurement [of funds] via various sources, either through loss or failure of residents to pay."

The crisis stems from collecting electricity revenues from the salaries of government employees because the finance ministry in Ramallah is refusing to transfer the revenues to the electricity company, he said.

The authority has managed to collect about 30 million shekels but is owed 60 million, he said.

There will be blackouts every couple of days in Gaza this summer - because no one is paying the bills.