Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad approved new measures on Tuesday to help counter an electricity crisis in the West Bank, a statement said.

Fayyad approved the measures during a weekly session of the Council of Ministers in Ramallah. The council endorsed measures to support low-income consumers of electricity as well as encouraging higher-income consumers to conserve their energy consumption.

The council will also enter discussions with Jordan about bringing electricity prices into line with previous tariffs.

"A meeting will be held between the Jerusalem Electric Company and the PM, as well as a number of security chiefs to discuss electricity theft, and follow-up with the issue in the West Bank," Hisham al-Omari, director of the JEC, told Ma'an.

"We are working on scheduling our debts and committing with accumulated taxes to the PA," he added.

The Israeli electric company is demanding back payments and is serious about cutting off electricity to Ramallah, Bethlehem Jericho and parts of Jerusalem if payments are not received, al-Omari said last week.

The Jerusalem Electric Company owes about 415 million shekels ($104 million), he said.

Al-Omari blamed the Palestinian Authority for failing to seek payments from refugee camps and said the company could not take responsibility for the camps, which are exempted from paying for electricity.