Jordan Doubles Power Supplies to West Bank City of Jericho

Electricity cables are seen in Tyre, Lebanon July 18, 2020. REUTERS/Aziz Taher/File Photo
Electricity cables are seen in Tyre, Lebanon July 18, 2020. REUTERS/Aziz Taher/File Photo
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Jordan Doubles Power Supplies to West Bank City of Jericho

Electricity cables are seen in Tyre, Lebanon July 18, 2020. REUTERS/Aziz Taher/File Photo
Electricity cables are seen in Tyre, Lebanon July 18, 2020. REUTERS/Aziz Taher/File Photo

Jordan said on Wednesday it had doubled the electricity supply sold to the occupied West Bank city of Jericho to 80 megawatts, helping reduce its reliance on power supplied by Israel.

They said the extra supplies came 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, Reuters reported.

Jordan and the Palestinian Authority have sought to expand ties under interim peace accords signed with Israel in the 1990s but accuse Israel of placing impediments, charges Israel denies.

Jordan resumed supplying power to Jericho in the Jordan Valley nearly a decade ago.

The Palestinian Authority receives most of its electricity needs for the population under its control from Israel.

Jordan has sought to expand exports to Palestinian markets and has been negotiating with Israel to ease trade hurdles. It has accused Israel of trying to keep a tight grip on the market so it can sell Israeli goods. Israel denies the charges.



Roadside Bomb Wounds Four in Iraq's Kirkuk

Security forces in Iraq. (AFP file photo)
Security forces in Iraq. (AFP file photo)
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Roadside Bomb Wounds Four in Iraq's Kirkuk

Security forces in Iraq. (AFP file photo)
Security forces in Iraq. (AFP file photo)

A roadside bomb wounded four people in the northern Iraqi oil city of Kirkuk on Saturday, police sources said.
The bomb targeted a commercial district in the city center. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, according to Reuters.
Earlier in the week, four Iraqi soldiers were killed and three others injured in an ambush on an army convoy southwest of Kirkuk, which ISIS militants claimed responsibility for.
Despite the group's defeat in 2017, remnants continue to conduct hit-and-run attacks against government forces.