PA Minister of Labor: Despite major drop in foreign aid, "We will not stop anyone’s salary"
Headline: “[PA] Minister Abu Shahla spoke with Donia Al-Watan about the salaries, financial crisis, electricity, temporary positions, and early pension”
“[PA] Minister of Labor Ma’moun Abu Shahla said that the [PA] national unity government has a monthly revenue of 900 million [Israeli] shekels, and its monthly expenditures exceed 1.15 billion shekels. He noted that the unity government suffers from a [monthly] financial deficit that stands at 250 million shekels.
Dr. Abu Shahla added in a special interview with [the independent Palestinian news agency] Donia Al-Watan: ‘Some think that the international aid reaches the Palestinian government continuously… There were promises that the aid would reach five billion [dollars], and it started to drop until in 2015 it reached approximately 700 million dollars, and in 2016 not even 450 million [dollars] reached us.’ …
Dr. Abu Shahla emphasized that the most important thing for the government is the timely payment of the salaries, as they must be paid on the first of the month, and the unity government has not been late [in paying] the salaries by even one day. Despite [the fact that] the government’s revenue mainly arrives from its own sources alongside the international aid that reaches 10% of the general budget; despite the ongoing pressure of the international community that it is not possible to pay the salaries of the [public] employees in Gaza who are not working; and despite the threats of the World Bank and the European Union to stop the economic aid for the salaries, the government has committed itself to pay all of the salaries, and we will not stop anyone’s salary.”
“[PA] Minister of Labor Ma’moun Abu Shahla said that the [PA] national unity government has a monthly revenue of 900 million [Israeli] shekels, and its monthly expenditures exceed 1.15 billion shekels. He noted that the unity government suffers from a [monthly] financial deficit that stands at 250 million shekels.
Dr. Abu Shahla added in a special interview with [the independent Palestinian news agency] Donia Al-Watan: ‘Some think that the international aid reaches the Palestinian government continuously… There were promises that the aid would reach five billion [dollars], and it started to drop until in 2015 it reached approximately 700 million dollars, and in 2016 not even 450 million [dollars] reached us.’ …
Dr. Abu Shahla emphasized that the most important thing for the government is the timely payment of the salaries, as they must be paid on the first of the month, and the unity government has not been late [in paying] the salaries by even one day. Despite [the fact that] the government’s revenue mainly arrives from its own sources alongside the international aid that reaches 10% of the general budget; despite the ongoing pressure of the international community that it is not possible to pay the salaries of the [public] employees in Gaza who are not working; and despite the threats of the World Bank and the European Union to stop the economic aid for the salaries, the government has committed itself to pay all of the salaries, and we will not stop anyone’s salary.”