PA to use international funding to pay salaries of Hamas military
“A senior Palestinian official, who requested to remain anonymous, said the government ‘fears the outbreak of a new crisis when the salaries will be paid, and many employees in Gaza may not receive their salaries.’
Hamas is demanding that approximately 42,000 employees it has employed in various Palestinian institutions since its takeover of the Gaza Strip [in 2007] be added to the official PA payroll. According to Palestinian sources, approximately 20,000 of them work in the military sector.
Yet the Palestinian official said the government was contending with the problem of raising the funds necessary [to pay] such a large number of employees, in addition to fears that ‘paying Hamas employees would be detrimental to the PA treasury.’ The official added that ‘the world defines Hamas as a ‘terrorist’ [organization], and the government wishes to [secure] guarantees that would enable the PA to pay these salaries.’
[PA] Government spokesman Ehab Bessaiso did not conceal [the fact] that there is a problem regarding the issue of the employees in Gaza. He said: ‘The solution to the problem depends on international guarantees that will be given to facilitate the raising of the funds, as well as on guarantees that will protect the PA Finance [Ministry] from external accusations regarding international law.’ Bessaiso said: ‘Thus far, all we have received are media donations (i.e., promises of donations via the media), and the government is suffering from asphyxiating financial distress, in addition to the legal difficulty regarding the Hamas employees.’ He added: ‘Nonetheless, we are trying to transfer payments to these workers, who number approximately 42,000.’ According to Bessaiso, the sum total of the PA monthly salaries amounts to approximately 700 million shekels (200 million dollars) [parenthesis in source], of which approximately 400 million shekels (120 million dollars) [parenthesis in source] come from taxes collected by Israel for the PA. Of that sum, 200 million shekels (about 57 million dollars) [parenthesis in source] are collected internally, while another approximately 35 million dollars come from donations from abroad.
The total number of official employees in PA institutions is approximately 177,000, of which about 70,000 work in the Gaza Strip. The Palestinian official, who requested to remain anonymous, said the sum total of the salaries of the employees Hamas had demanded be added [to the PA’s payroll] was between 30 to 40 million dollars. Qatar had expressed readiness to pay 25 million of that sum for a period of six months, but there was no guarantee the salaries would continue to be financed.”
From Agence France-Presse
Hamas is demanding that approximately 42,000 employees it has employed in various Palestinian institutions since its takeover of the Gaza Strip [in 2007] be added to the official PA payroll. According to Palestinian sources, approximately 20,000 of them work in the military sector.
Yet the Palestinian official said the government was contending with the problem of raising the funds necessary [to pay] such a large number of employees, in addition to fears that ‘paying Hamas employees would be detrimental to the PA treasury.’ The official added that ‘the world defines Hamas as a ‘terrorist’ [organization], and the government wishes to [secure] guarantees that would enable the PA to pay these salaries.’
[PA] Government spokesman Ehab Bessaiso did not conceal [the fact] that there is a problem regarding the issue of the employees in Gaza. He said: ‘The solution to the problem depends on international guarantees that will be given to facilitate the raising of the funds, as well as on guarantees that will protect the PA Finance [Ministry] from external accusations regarding international law.’ Bessaiso said: ‘Thus far, all we have received are media donations (i.e., promises of donations via the media), and the government is suffering from asphyxiating financial distress, in addition to the legal difficulty regarding the Hamas employees.’ He added: ‘Nonetheless, we are trying to transfer payments to these workers, who number approximately 42,000.’ According to Bessaiso, the sum total of the PA monthly salaries amounts to approximately 700 million shekels (200 million dollars) [parenthesis in source], of which approximately 400 million shekels (120 million dollars) [parenthesis in source] come from taxes collected by Israel for the PA. Of that sum, 200 million shekels (about 57 million dollars) [parenthesis in source] are collected internally, while another approximately 35 million dollars come from donations from abroad.
The total number of official employees in PA institutions is approximately 177,000, of which about 70,000 work in the Gaza Strip. The Palestinian official, who requested to remain anonymous, said the sum total of the salaries of the employees Hamas had demanded be added [to the PA’s payroll] was between 30 to 40 million dollars. Qatar had expressed readiness to pay 25 million of that sum for a period of six months, but there was no guarantee the salaries would continue to be financed.”
From Agence France-Presse