On 23 February 2015, IEC intentionally cut off the West Bank power for about 45 minutes due to unpaid debts. Two days later it again cut off power, stating it was a warning to the Palestinian Authority to begin paying down the debt, which at that time was NIS 1.9 billion. The majority of the debt is owed by the PA and Jerusalem District Electricity Company (JDECO) which is a Palestinian electricity firm which buys its power from IEC and serves east Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Ramallah and Jericho areas. IEC stated that it is losing NIS 85 million per month on power supplied to Nablus and Jenin that is not being paid for, causing the majority of IEC’s quarterly loss. The Palestinians accused IEC of collective punishment, however, IEC stated that it must operate independently and are treating this as it would any customer who does not pay their debts.