Abbas rescinds decision to cut salaries of Hamas MPs
Headline: "A source to Amad: The Qatari ambassador renewed the salaries of the Hamas Members of Parliament after their payment was stopped on Abbas' order"
"Palestinian media outlets have published that Ramallah Authority (i.e., PA) Chairman Muhammad Abbas ordered to stop payment of the salaries of the [PA] Members of Parliament that disagree with his position, without differentiating between the Hamas faction and the Fatah faction. The order included 47 Hamas Members of Parliament and seven Fatah Members of Parliament.
The Hamas faction published a notice in which it verified that 'The PA stopped the payment of the salaries of 47 of the Hamas Movement’s Members of Parliament in the West Bank.'
In a short statement published on Monday [June 5, 2017], the faction said that 'Stopping the payment of the salaries of Hamas Members of Parliament in the West Bank comes after stopping the payment of Hamas Members of Parliament’s salaries in Gaza since 2007.'
Hours after the publication of the notice, top official in the [PA] Ministry of Finance of Abbas' government in Ramallah Abd Al-Jabbar Salem said that a technical error had occurred and that the salaries of the Hamas Members of Parliament will be renewed.
But a source verified to [the independent Palestinian news website] Amad that Abbas rescinded his decision as a result of a phone call from Qatari Ambassador in Gaza Muhammad Al-Emadi, who told him that this decision would be considered a step against Qatar, especially since it was made after several states announced the breaking off of ties with it, which is liable to be considered a position that identifies with the decision of the states that announced the breaking off of diplomatic ties.
The source verified to Amad that Abbas ordered his secretary, Intisar Abu Amarah, to notify [PA] Minister of Finance in the Ramallah government Shukri Bashara to immediately renew the salaries of the Hamas Members of Parliament, but not to renew the salaries of the Fatah Members of Parliament."
"Palestinian media outlets have published that Ramallah Authority (i.e., PA) Chairman Muhammad Abbas ordered to stop payment of the salaries of the [PA] Members of Parliament that disagree with his position, without differentiating between the Hamas faction and the Fatah faction. The order included 47 Hamas Members of Parliament and seven Fatah Members of Parliament.
The Hamas faction published a notice in which it verified that 'The PA stopped the payment of the salaries of 47 of the Hamas Movement’s Members of Parliament in the West Bank.'
In a short statement published on Monday [June 5, 2017], the faction said that 'Stopping the payment of the salaries of Hamas Members of Parliament in the West Bank comes after stopping the payment of Hamas Members of Parliament’s salaries in Gaza since 2007.'
Hours after the publication of the notice, top official in the [PA] Ministry of Finance of Abbas' government in Ramallah Abd Al-Jabbar Salem said that a technical error had occurred and that the salaries of the Hamas Members of Parliament will be renewed.
But a source verified to [the independent Palestinian news website] Amad that Abbas rescinded his decision as a result of a phone call from Qatari Ambassador in Gaza Muhammad Al-Emadi, who told him that this decision would be considered a step against Qatar, especially since it was made after several states announced the breaking off of ties with it, which is liable to be considered a position that identifies with the decision of the states that announced the breaking off of diplomatic ties.
The source verified to Amad that Abbas ordered his secretary, Intisar Abu Amarah, to notify [PA] Minister of Finance in the Ramallah government Shukri Bashara to immediately renew the salaries of the Hamas Members of Parliament, but not to renew the salaries of the Fatah Members of Parliament."