A battery protection circuit is provided that includes current monitoring circuit. The current monitoring circuit senses current flowing from a rechargeable cell. When the current exceeds a maximum value, the current monitoring circuit actuates, whereby opening a transistor. The transistor has a resistor coupled in parallel. When the transistor opens, current is forced through the resistor coupled in parallel with the transistor, thereby limiting the current to a maximum value. When the voltage across the resistor exceeds a predetermined threshold, an overcurrent condition is simulated in the lithium ion protection IC. The overcurrent condition causes a disconnect switch to open, thereby disconnecting the cell(s) from the external terminals. The circuit additionally includes three current blocking elements coupled between charging terminals and the cells to ensure that fault conditions occurring within the charger do not adversely affect the performance of either the cells or a host electronic device.