Caught red handed by PMW, PA rushes to change its online financial reports

After Palestinian Media Watch exposed the discrepancies between the Arabic language monthly budget performance reports and its English language translation, the Palestinian Authority rushed to change all five reports in which the distortions appeared.

Last week, PMW showed how the Arabic language version of the financial reports published by the PA Ministry of Finance, artificially included a reference to the “Commission of Prisoners and Released Prisoners,” thereby creating the impression that the PA is openly funding that body. In contrast, the English language version of the same reports expunged the reference to the commission.

Since PMW’s report obviously embarrassed the PA and could bring censure of the European donor countries who have demanded full financial transparency, the PA has retroactively altered all the reports in which the distortions appeared. Were one to now check the site of the PA Ministry of Finance, no such discrepancy would appear.

Original PA Monthly budget performance report for the month of June 2020

The revised Arabic language reports now reflect the English version of the reports.

Revised PA Monthly budget performance report for the month of June 2020

While there is no indication on the site of the PA Ministry of Finance that the financial documents being presented have been retroactively edited, an investigation conducted by PMW shows that all the relevant files – the PA monthly financial reports for February, March, April, May and June 2020 - were all altered on August 30, just days after the publication of PMW’s report.