Hisham Omari has one of the most difficult jobs in Palestine. As director general of the Jerusalem District Electricity Company (JDECO), his job is to supply energy to some 280,000 customers spanning four districts. The company, the largest in Jerusalem, has become a national icon for Palestinians and a source of national pride.

The private/public company, which has been operating under an extended concession, has the exclusive rights to supply electricity to the districts of Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Ramallah and Jericho. In an interview with Al-Monitor, Omari explained the complicated legal and administrative nature of his work. “We work with the Palestinian Authority in Areas A and B and with the Israeli civil administration in Area C and with the Israeli government in the annexed areas of Jerusalem.”

Omari explained that the company buys most of its electricity from Israel; although in recent years, they have been supplying some of their customer’s energy needs with power coming from Jordan. Jordanian electricity is cheaper and strategic for Palestinians. “We are hoping to increase the electricity we buy from Jordan, even though Israel restricts that energy to be only used in the Jericho district.”

The 8.5-kilometer (roughly 5-mile) electricity line from the Jordanian town of Sweimeh across the King Hussein Bridge cost $6 million and was provided to the people of Palestine with a $5 million grant from the Islamic Development Bank and $1 million from Norway. Power began to flow to the tune of 20 megawatts to Jericho customers in February 2008 by way of JDECO.