Neighbourly Tiffs

Testy relations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority aren't much helped by Palestinian scofflaws who seem to believe they are not responsible for paying their own way. In a sense it's hardly surprising that people who consider themselves pitiable refugees, because the world at large supports them in the fiction, and who are accustomed to being aided financially by the international community of Western states and the United Nations which categorize them as living in "refugee camps" in Gaza and the West Bank, simply feel that everything should be free for them.

These are people who insist they must be sovereign, must have their own state, either one alongside the Jewish State, or by destroying Israel and simply moving themselves into what is now Israel to create the longed-for State of Palestine, encompassing what is now the geography of Israel along with the West Bank and Gaza. And what chaos would reign then, when presumably Israel as a state would no longer exist, and in the best of all possible Palestinian worlds nor would a Jewish presence.

In that Palestine comprised of the Palestinian Arabs of Jordanian and Egyptian derivation (West Bank and Gaza respectively), the secular-minded Fatah Palestinians (West Bank) and the Islamist-saturated Hamas Palestinians (Gaza) would be free to turn their undivided attention on their tribal and religious detestation of one another. And it is entirely possible that under present circumstances, the new State of Palestine would resemble present-day Syria.

There was a brief preview of just that when Hamas had flooded into Gaza, turfed out Fatah, and claimed the territory for its very own Islamist, Sharia-driven emirate. For the time being, however, there still is a State of Israel. And it is that country from which the Palestinian Authority receives most of its electricity through the Jerusalem District Electricity Company. After all, this kind of cooperative venture is how neighbours should act toward one another; helpfully.

Of course this isn't charity. Someone has to pay for the electrical grid, and for the electricity that is used by the Palestinian Authority and its population. Except a strange thing happened on the way to responsibility; it has been hugely rejected by a fairly large proportion of the Palestinian population. That includes not only individuals but also Palestinian industrial companies. Who prefer to illegally tap into the power grid.

Availing themselves of costly and necessary energy while preferring not to pay their fair share. To the tune of $70-million yearly. Creating a shortage in the coffers of the Palestinian Authority. Making them unable to pay the electricity authority, in other words, for what they're actually using. The PA's monthly electricity bill amounts to $28-million, of which $14-million-worth is what the PA can afford to pay. It now owes Israel roughly $240-million.

Israel could be happier about subsidizing free-loaders that are not even its citizens. As a result it threatens to cut off electricity access to the PA. And the PA seeks to remedy the situation. By using the festive season of Ramadan to nudge peoples' consciences. "Ramadan has always proven to be a good month where you can invoke certain moral and religious high ground messaging because people tend to be more aware and more worried about certain (negative) behaviours", according to Kamel Husseini, managing partner for Ellam Tam, a Palestinian public relations company.

"So advertisements urging people not to steal electricity is a very soft way to invoke the conscience of the people." And, adds Jane Masri, another advertising executive: "Ramadan in the Arab world is the Super Bowl of advertising opportunities, akin to what you see during the holiday season in the West. Ramadan is a very positive time for the entire community at every level."

Not to introduce a voice of skeptical cynicism, but Ramadan hasn't appeared to slow down the bombing of mosques and churches, the threats and the slaughter taking place in Syria without stop, and slopping over into Lebanon.

But good luck to the Palestinian Authority who know the identities of the offenders, particularly the industrial companies since they're located in refugee camps, where for the JDECO Israeli power grid, it is impossible to collect what is owed. This is a problem of long standing. A year ago the Palestinian Authority got tough with those industrial companies and individuals who bled the system.

They passed a law authorizing four-month jail terms for those found guilty of electricity theft. "But the court today is only punishing people with a one dinar fine ($1.40) dating back to a 1967 law based on much lower salaries of the time", said Hisham Omari, CEO of the Jerusalem District Electricity Company.

And can't we just hear the howls of outrage from the European Union in particular should the JDEC make good on its threat to shut off access to the electricity grid because of the massive amounts owing from the Palestinian Authority? Depriving Palestinians, yet again, of their human rights entitlements.