MK Demands Action on Modi'in Illit Power Outages

Knesset Member Avi Maoz, chairman of the Noam party, sent a strongly worded letter Sunday to Israel Electric Corporation CEO Meir Spiegler demanding a thorough investigation into recurring power failures in the haredi city of Modi'in Illit and calling for a permanent solution. The letter follows a widespread blackout Friday afternoon that left thousands of residents without electricity just before Shabbat, with additional outages continuing throughout Shabbat itself.

The Friday afternoon outage, which affected the Buchfeld neighborhood, was the latest in a series of power failures that have struck various parts of Modi'in Illit, Bnei Brak, and Rekhasim in recent weeks. Reports of outages continued through Shabbat, leaving hundreds of residents without power or with only partial service during a period of intense heat.

In his letter to Spiegler, which was also sent to Energy Minister Eli Cohen, Maoz emphasized that these are not isolated incidents but a recurring pattern. "This is not a one-time event, but a repeated phenomenon occurring in these areas with alarming frequency," Maoz wrote. He added that "the power outages cause enormous suffering to residents and tangibly disrupt their daily routines, particularly during the hot summer days."

The failures have generated significant frustration among residents, especially when they occur on Friday afternoons and during Shabbat, and on days when heavy heat loads make coping without electricity and air conditioning even more difficult. Residents left without power described difficulties preparing for Shabbat and meals that were ruined due to the inability to cook.

"If this happened in Tel Aviv, the response would be faster"

In his letter, Maoz also addressed the perception among some Modi'in Illit residents that power failures in their city do not receive the same priority as similar events would in other cities. "It's impossible to ignore the difficult feeling among residents that if outages of this scale occurred in Tel Aviv or Herzliya, the response would be faster and more determined," he wrote.

Maoz is demanding that the Israel Electric Corporation CEO intervene personally to examine the causes of the recurring failures and develop a solution to prevent their recurrence. "The residents of Modi'in Illit cannot be held hostage and suffer repeatedly from recurring failures without a solution," Maoz wrote, demanding that the electric company provide answers to residents and ensure stable electricity supply even during periods of heat stress and during the sensitive hours of Friday afternoon and Shabbat.

The letter comes after the Israel Electric Corporation already addressed the most recent outage, claiming that the strain on the grid stems partly from apartment subdivisions and private connections that were not taken into account when planning the network's capacity. CEO Meir Spiegler announced that the company intends to perform root-cause treatment on the system supplying Modi'in Illit.

Maoz is now demanding answers and assurance that the response will not be limited to fixing the immediate failure, but will bring a fundamental solution that prevents continued recurring power outages in the city. It should be noted that last Shabbat also saw widespread power outages in Bnei Brak and Rekhasim, with many residents left without electricity for extended periods.

IEC workers (Photo: Ayal Margolin / Flash90)

Maoz, who has been conducting an intensive election campaign in recent weeks, has positioned infrastructure and services for the haredi public as one of his party's core issues. In a recent interview with Kikar HaShabbat, Maoz clarified that he views improving services for the haredi public as a central mission, alongside the demand for equal funding for haredi educational institutions.