INN: A feud between two government ministries may be behind two days of rolling blackouts which? have affected people on life support, frayed nerves and caused considerable inconvenience for millions of Israelis? living in the Gush Dan area.

The electric company says it has been forced to impose blackouts to conserve electricity because three critical power plants have been shut down by order of the Ministry of Environmental Quality. The ministry maintains that the three coal-driven plants contribute to atmospheric pollution.

Binaymin Ben Eliezer (Labor), Minister of National Infrastructure ordered the plants to reopen yesterday, but wrangling between the two ministries has kept the generators off line.

Meanwhile, dozens of Israelis have been getting caught in stuck elevators as the power outages roll into their buildings. While residents have been warned not to use elevators until 6:00 p.m., many Israelis, especially in the densely populated Gush Dan area, live in high rise buildings which are not easily accessible except by using an elevator. The rolling blackouts are also responsible for traffic jams caused by malfunctioning traffic lights.
Power outages have plagued the city of Nahariya, a few kilometers south of Israel�s border with Lebanon.

Blackouts have been rolling in and out of Nahariya for the past two hours, trapping hapless residents who happened to be in elevators when the blackouts hit.

The electric company claims that an order to shut down three power plants has created a shortage of electric power in the country.