Israel's national electricity company on Monday cut off power for one hour to large parts of Nablus and Jenin, the two biggest Palestinian cities in the northern West Bank, saying the blackout was a warning over unpaid bills.

The company said it was owed large sums of money by Northern Electric, a Palestinian firm which buys electricity from Israel and distributes it to towns and villages in the northern West Bank.

The head of the board of directors of Northern Electric and the mayor of Nablus, Ghassan Shaka, said 18 municipal councils in the Nablus and Jenin area were cut off for about one hour, as an initial warning, causing disruptions in factories and companies.

Dozens of people were also stranded in elevators.