Press Release
The Palestinian Authority and Municipalities Conspire against the Interests of the People in the Implementation of the Instructions of the Imperialist Kuffar
Prepaid Meters are a Disaster, Prisoner Rope and Noose for Services

For the time being, the Palestinian Authority (PA) has, with the cooperation of the municipalities, implemented the criminal project against the people of Palestine in general and against the poor and unemployed particularly, by making the basic vital services of water and electricity prepaid. In other words, the resident must pay the price of these services in advance before their consumption (by way of prepaid meter cards or meters called "smart meters"), and if the resident does not have money he sits thirsty in his dark home without electricity, and his entire life is disrupted as a result. This project has two goals: First- privatization and the selling of these vital services to for-profit companies that suck the blood of the people; and secondly- to wrap a noose around the necks of the people to control them absolutely by denying them water and electricity.

So the cunning mentality of the capitalists, slave of the foreigner, in the Palestinian Authority and municipalities that see themselves as the arm of the PA and not as a hand to serve the people, their minds conjured up all kinds of means to acquire the people's money through various means including prepaid meters, so they have started collecting dues on everything; property tax, waste, water, and professional and personal debt, and others. And perhaps tomorrow they will extend it to traffic violations and court judgments, and the resident in this case has no choice but to pay what the PA and municipalities demand, without the ability to negotiate or object or even resort to the judiciary (because cases take years to be decided), instead he must pay or else his house is darkened or his business and trade are stalled and he and his family are left thirsty.

This approach, namely the fulfilling of everything by way of the prepaid meters called "smart meters" (that switch to prepaid meters with the press of a button), is expanding and spreading by the conspiring and collusion between the PA and municipalities that do not fear Allah in the people, and eat their rights and push them to migrate out of this country. We have learned that a meeting with some of the municipalities took place, and in it the experiment of the municipality of Nuba was studied, and it was agreed to be taken as a "criminal" model to be emulated. It should be noted that Nuba is not alone, but it is the forerunner in authoritarian injustice and arbitrariness.

Hizb ut Tahrir - Palestine has launched an awareness campaign for the public in this regard and advised them not to agree to change their regular meters, and take this as a vital issue for them and to walk in the path of the protection of their rights, and work to change their prepaid meters back to regular meters, and to be adamant in this, and that the meters were installed for the people through deception and intimidation in an illegal manner, based on coercion and manipulation.

This campaign included individual and group communication, and Masjids and people's councils, throughout all regions.

On Thursday 29/8/2013 in the Umari Masjid in the municipality of Nuba in southern Hebron, one of the notable members of Hizb ut Tahrir, the educator Mr. Basheer Tirman (Abu Sayel) spoke to the people about this matter, and of what Br. Basheer said to the people is:

"Water and electricity are vital necessities... in which they are public property... and even capitalist states like America and Europe for example do not deal with the prepaid system," and he added, "Whoever from the municipalities makes the excuse of the existence of debt on the residents... the debt can be paid in installments, not by denying of the people of electricity and water." And he added, "We are in a land under occupation... so what if the Jews imposed a curfew on the people..." Then he appealed to the people saying, "How many people in this town have cried in front of payment box because there was no money for him to charge the card..."

What happened was that the PA and municipality conspired against him, and he was arbitrarily arrested by the Preventive Security Service on Saturday 31/8/2013, and he still remains detained while this statement was being prepared, and they offered to release him on the condition to pledge to not speak of this issue again, but he absolutely refused.

The PA must immediately release Mr. Tirman, and we hold it and the municipality responsible for the safety of Mr. Basheer and his health, and we call to the people of Palestine as a whole to be aware of the criminal projects of the PA, whether it relates to surrendering Palestine to the Jews, or the consuming of their rights and transforming their life into a living Hell, in preparation for submissive solutions or displacement.

• These are images of invoices and receipts issued by the Municipal Council of Nuba from pre-payment centers, which shows that there is nothing left of variations in dues and devastation, and it is a summary of the project of prepaid water and electricity. The receipt shows how the municipality deducted 200 Sheikals from the subscriber's payment for professional license rather than providing the recipient with electricity.

قال e «اللهم من رفق بأمتي فارفق به، ومن شق عليهم فشق عليه»

The Messenger (saw) said: "O Allah whoever was kind with my Ummah then show him kindness, and whoever was harsh with my Ummah, be harsh with him."

The Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir Palestine - The Blessed Land