Palestinian Prime Minister Muhammad Shtayyeh on Monday accused Israel of destroying the Palestinian Authority economically and financially, at a time when the Authority’s public finances are suffering from an unprecedented crisis.
This came during a speech by Muhammad Shtayyeh at the opening of the weekly session of the Palestinian government in Ramallah, according to a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office.
Shtayyeh said, “Israel is practicing economic and financial destruction of the Authority through barriers and geographical fragmentation, preventing workers from reaching their places of work, tightening control over the areas called (C) and preventing their growth and development.”
He stated that the West Bank today includes more than 700 military checkpoints, gates, etc., noting that this has led to “a decline in the pace of the economy, in addition to the continuation of financial deductions from our funds.”
The Palestinian Authority has not received the tax money collected by Israel at border crossings with abroad since last October, amounting to $210 million per month.
This led to fluctuations in the disbursement of salaries to public employees and retirees since that date, which prompted the government to borrow from the local banking sector to pay the deficient wages.
Shtayyeh added, “Israel today occupies all Palestinian lands, including cities, villages, camps, and the Gaza Strip, with renewed tools, destruction of infrastructure, bombardment by drones and settlers, and targeting of everything Palestinian, and Jerusalem and the holy sites are at the heart of the systematic targeting.”
He said, “There are Israeli attempts to remove the authority from the Gaza Strip by seizing funds, closing all crossings leading to the Gaza Strip, and preventing the delivery of aid from the West Bank and Jerusalem, but we will continue to help in every way.”
Killing, destruction, and attempted displacement
The Palestinian Prime Minister pointed out that Israel wants, through killing, destruction, and attempted displacement, to reshape the demographic balance to its advantage after it shifted in favor of Palestine for the first time since 1948. He continued, “We face all of this popularly, nationally, politically, and internationally, and with Palestine’s friends in the world, and across all platforms.” international political, diplomatic and judicial matters.
Regarding the developments in Rafah at dawn on Monday, he said, “A new escalation began, announced by the Israeli Prime Minister, toward the invasion of Rafah, the last refuge square in the Gaza Strip, which claimed the lives of 100 martyrs, most of whom were children and women.”
Rafah shelters more than 1.4 million people in harsh conditions amidst killing, hunger, thirst, cold, and epidemics.
Shtayyeh said, “The displacement attempts are still ongoing and their plans are ready to be implemented, but our people will not leave their land or abandon it.” He pointed out that “the government reform program is progressing well, but it needs an environment conducive to reform on the one hand, and lifting the financial blockade imposed on us on the other hand.”
Repair program
Last week, the government announced a reform program aimed at resetting expenditures, issuing new laws, rearranging work in the public service and other items.
Shtayyeh pointed out, “It is important to say that any national internal arrangement must ensure the cessation of the aggression against Gaza, the withdrawal of the occupation army from there (Gaza), empowering the Authority, and not losing the opportunity related to recognizing Palestine as a full member state in the United Nations, and bilateral recognitions between us and The United States and the European Union countries.
For 129 days, Israel has been waging a devastating war on the Gaza Strip, which has left, as of today, Monday, 28,340 martyrs and 67,984 injured, most of them children and women, in addition to thousands of people missing under the rubble, according to Palestinian and UN data, which led to Israel being tried on charges of genocide for the first time. Once since its founding.
