17 mar 2018
“We call on, and demand that president Ramaphosa places this matter [the Israeli occupation of Palestine] on the BRICS agenda,” said Naledi Pandor, South Africa’s Minister of Higher Education.
BRICS is the acronym for the association of five major emerging national economies: Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.
Referring to US President Donald Trump’s reckless decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and move the US embassy there, Pandor explained that there was now “a need to identify powerful members of the global community who may give greater impetus to progress in finding a two-state solution, perhaps the BRICS countries should be called on to assume such global leadership.”
Pandor made the comments at an Israeli Apartheid Week event at the University of Cape Town (UCT) on Wednesday night, where she was the keynote speaker.
The comments are significant since South Africa is chairing BRICS in 2018. Collectively, the BRICS bloc represents over 3.6 billion people, or about 41% of the world population. Russia and China both hold permanent veto power at the UN Security Council.
Hosted by the UCT Palestine Solidarity Forum (PSF), Pandor reaffirmed both the South African government and the African National Congress’s solidarity with the people of Palestine. She further urged South Africans – particularly young South Africans born in post-1994 democratic South Africa - to act in support of international struggles for freedom and self-determination just as the global community stood in solidarity with the anti-Apartheid movement in South Africa.
“One of the things we failed to appreciate as South Africans is the immense contribution to our struggle by the international anti-Apartheid movement. We enjoyed support from all corners of the world and now that we are free we are ignoring and enjoying our freedom and we have forgotten those who are oppressed in other parts of the world.”
As former beneficiaries of selfless international support, South Africans have a collective duty to lend a supportive hand to others seeking justice and equality, explained Pandor to a crowd of over 250 students. “Now that we have achieved our freedom, we must not forget our friends and allies who helped us liberate ourselves,” she cautioned.
According to Pandor, it was this duty that guided the ANC’s deliberations on the issue of Palestine at its 54th National Conference in December, where South Africa’s ruling party passed a resolution to immediately and unconditionally downgrade South Africa’s embassy in Tel Aviv to a liaison office. The pro-Israel lobby in South Africa was outraged by the resolution, calling the move “discriminatory”.
The minister said that the decision to downgrade the South African Embassy in Tel Aviv is not an anti-Israel resolution, it is a pro-Palestine resolution.
“There has been consternation in Israel about the ANC’s decision, but our decision does not detract from our commitment to a two-state solution. It does express our dismay and anger at the absence of any attempt by Israel, which is the powerful component of the struggle and its powerful friends in the north, their absence of any attempt to free the people of Palestine from the oppression they suffer today.”
Pandor’s comments were welcomed by the Palestinian solidarity movement in South Africa.
BRICS is the acronym for the association of five major emerging national economies: Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.
Referring to US President Donald Trump’s reckless decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and move the US embassy there, Pandor explained that there was now “a need to identify powerful members of the global community who may give greater impetus to progress in finding a two-state solution, perhaps the BRICS countries should be called on to assume such global leadership.”
Pandor made the comments at an Israeli Apartheid Week event at the University of Cape Town (UCT) on Wednesday night, where she was the keynote speaker.
The comments are significant since South Africa is chairing BRICS in 2018. Collectively, the BRICS bloc represents over 3.6 billion people, or about 41% of the world population. Russia and China both hold permanent veto power at the UN Security Council.
Hosted by the UCT Palestine Solidarity Forum (PSF), Pandor reaffirmed both the South African government and the African National Congress’s solidarity with the people of Palestine. She further urged South Africans – particularly young South Africans born in post-1994 democratic South Africa - to act in support of international struggles for freedom and self-determination just as the global community stood in solidarity with the anti-Apartheid movement in South Africa.
“One of the things we failed to appreciate as South Africans is the immense contribution to our struggle by the international anti-Apartheid movement. We enjoyed support from all corners of the world and now that we are free we are ignoring and enjoying our freedom and we have forgotten those who are oppressed in other parts of the world.”
As former beneficiaries of selfless international support, South Africans have a collective duty to lend a supportive hand to others seeking justice and equality, explained Pandor to a crowd of over 250 students. “Now that we have achieved our freedom, we must not forget our friends and allies who helped us liberate ourselves,” she cautioned.
According to Pandor, it was this duty that guided the ANC’s deliberations on the issue of Palestine at its 54th National Conference in December, where South Africa’s ruling party passed a resolution to immediately and unconditionally downgrade South Africa’s embassy in Tel Aviv to a liaison office. The pro-Israel lobby in South Africa was outraged by the resolution, calling the move “discriminatory”.
The minister said that the decision to downgrade the South African Embassy in Tel Aviv is not an anti-Israel resolution, it is a pro-Palestine resolution.
“There has been consternation in Israel about the ANC’s decision, but our decision does not detract from our commitment to a two-state solution. It does express our dismay and anger at the absence of any attempt by Israel, which is the powerful component of the struggle and its powerful friends in the north, their absence of any attempt to free the people of Palestine from the oppression they suffer today.”
Pandor’s comments were welcomed by the Palestinian solidarity movement in South Africa.
15 mar 2018
Jamie McGoldrick, of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), announced on Wednesday the launch of the Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) for 2018, which aims to support the needs of 1.9 million Palestinians in the occupied Palestinian territory, or oPt.
McGoldrick said the plan exists in the context of one of the world’s most long-standing protection crises, which remains directly tied to the impact of Israel’s occupation, which marked its 50th year in June 2017, alongside internal Palestinian divisions and Egypt’s closure of Rafah crossing.
“This year, we are especially pleased to co-launch the appeal in Gaza with the State of Palestine. In so doing, we are sending a strong message of our joint commitment to improving the humanitarian situation for Gaza’s nearly 2 million Palestinian residents, over half of them children”, he said.
“There is no place more fitting to launch the humanitarian plan than Gaza, where we see a man-made tragedy unfolding daily. Today, Gaza is on the brink of catastrophe and humanitarian needs run deep. Ten (10) years of intensified movement and access restrictions, recurrent escalations of hostilities, alongside internal Palestinian divisions and closure of Rafah, have left 70 per cent of the population reliant on international aid”, he added.
“Some 40 per cent of Gaza’s households fail to meet international standards for food security; unemployment stands at nearly 47 per cent, due largely to a crippled economy, limited by restrictions on movement of people and goods, and an energy crisis that leaves people without electricity up to 20 hours a day,” McGoldrick warned.
“Without donor-funded emergency fuel distributed to critical water, sanitation and health facilities, we would face a total systems collapse, with the result, a humanitarian disaster. Even with support, 40 per cent of the population receives just 4 to 6 hours of water supply, every 3 to 5 days, and over 100 million liters of sewage – nearly all of it raw –flows into the sea each day. Access to healthcare, a basic human right, is denied to thousands, due to a lack of drugs, equipment and expertise available in Gaza, compounded by significant difficulty to exit the Strip to receive treatment elsewhere.”
“In front of us, we see the damage left from the 2014 escalation of hostilities. Great strides have been made in the reconstruction effort, but over 20,000 Palestinians remain displaced from that period. Less visible is the psychological damage, particularly on children, sustained by hundreds of thousands of Palestinians during the conflict, and those that preceded it,” OCHA maintained.
“To the right, we see the signs of the crisis in basic services that has worsened over the last year, with an estimated 30,000 tons of uncollected trash gathering at this site alone;
Behind me, we see the Beit Lahiya sewage lagoons; a symbol of the insufficient water and sanitation infrastructure, dependent on donor-funded fuel to pump out the sewage or risk an overflow of the lagoon, like the one that claimed the lives of 5 Palestinians in 2007,” OCHA’s statement read. “And, finally, to the left, we see the access restricted areas on land, where farmers face restrictions imposed by the Israeli authorities on their ability to access their agricultural land, posing physical safety risks and impacting livelihoods across Gaza. These areas are among those with the highest vulnerability in the oPt, a reality exemplified earlier this month, when a 59-year-old Palestinian farmer was killed by Israeli gunfire while working on his farm in the restricted areas, east of Khan Younis.”
According to McGoldrick, in the West Bank, the volume of needs are less, but no less serious or urgent. Movement and access restrictions, often in the context of Israeli settlement activity, and discriminatory planning and zoning policies, have fragmented the territory, resulting in destroyed homes and livelihoods. The combined impact of a number of policies has created for many Palestinians, in areas like Area C, East Jerusalem and the Israeli-controlled part of al-Khalil city, a coercive environment that pressures them to leave and generates a risk of forcible transfer.
“Some 270,000 Palestinians in Area C are directly affected by Israeli restrictions and control over water and sanitation infrastructure”, he said. “350,000 people in the West Bank are vulnerable to settler violence and over 260,000 people, including Palestine refugees, are in need of humanitarian healthcare. Access to education is heavily compromised by an increase in education-related violations, affecting almost 40,000 students and teachers.”
“Against this worrying backdrop of needs in the oPt, the massive funding crisis faced by UNRWA, one of the main service providers and a main employer, particularly in Gaza, should be of concern to everyone, not just Palestine refugees”, he stressed.
Overall, the 2018 humanitarian plan appeals for US$ 539.7 million to address urgent humanitarian needs in the areas of protection, food security, health, water and sanitation, shelter and education. Of the request, 75 per cent targets Palestinians in Gaza. Half of the overall amount is for UNRWA emergency projects.
McGoldrick said the plan exists in the context of one of the world’s most long-standing protection crises, which remains directly tied to the impact of Israel’s occupation, which marked its 50th year in June 2017, alongside internal Palestinian divisions and Egypt’s closure of Rafah crossing.
“This year, we are especially pleased to co-launch the appeal in Gaza with the State of Palestine. In so doing, we are sending a strong message of our joint commitment to improving the humanitarian situation for Gaza’s nearly 2 million Palestinian residents, over half of them children”, he said.
“There is no place more fitting to launch the humanitarian plan than Gaza, where we see a man-made tragedy unfolding daily. Today, Gaza is on the brink of catastrophe and humanitarian needs run deep. Ten (10) years of intensified movement and access restrictions, recurrent escalations of hostilities, alongside internal Palestinian divisions and closure of Rafah, have left 70 per cent of the population reliant on international aid”, he added.
“Some 40 per cent of Gaza’s households fail to meet international standards for food security; unemployment stands at nearly 47 per cent, due largely to a crippled economy, limited by restrictions on movement of people and goods, and an energy crisis that leaves people without electricity up to 20 hours a day,” McGoldrick warned.
“Without donor-funded emergency fuel distributed to critical water, sanitation and health facilities, we would face a total systems collapse, with the result, a humanitarian disaster. Even with support, 40 per cent of the population receives just 4 to 6 hours of water supply, every 3 to 5 days, and over 100 million liters of sewage – nearly all of it raw –flows into the sea each day. Access to healthcare, a basic human right, is denied to thousands, due to a lack of drugs, equipment and expertise available in Gaza, compounded by significant difficulty to exit the Strip to receive treatment elsewhere.”
“In front of us, we see the damage left from the 2014 escalation of hostilities. Great strides have been made in the reconstruction effort, but over 20,000 Palestinians remain displaced from that period. Less visible is the psychological damage, particularly on children, sustained by hundreds of thousands of Palestinians during the conflict, and those that preceded it,” OCHA maintained.
“To the right, we see the signs of the crisis in basic services that has worsened over the last year, with an estimated 30,000 tons of uncollected trash gathering at this site alone;
Behind me, we see the Beit Lahiya sewage lagoons; a symbol of the insufficient water and sanitation infrastructure, dependent on donor-funded fuel to pump out the sewage or risk an overflow of the lagoon, like the one that claimed the lives of 5 Palestinians in 2007,” OCHA’s statement read. “And, finally, to the left, we see the access restricted areas on land, where farmers face restrictions imposed by the Israeli authorities on their ability to access their agricultural land, posing physical safety risks and impacting livelihoods across Gaza. These areas are among those with the highest vulnerability in the oPt, a reality exemplified earlier this month, when a 59-year-old Palestinian farmer was killed by Israeli gunfire while working on his farm in the restricted areas, east of Khan Younis.”
According to McGoldrick, in the West Bank, the volume of needs are less, but no less serious or urgent. Movement and access restrictions, often in the context of Israeli settlement activity, and discriminatory planning and zoning policies, have fragmented the territory, resulting in destroyed homes and livelihoods. The combined impact of a number of policies has created for many Palestinians, in areas like Area C, East Jerusalem and the Israeli-controlled part of al-Khalil city, a coercive environment that pressures them to leave and generates a risk of forcible transfer.
“Some 270,000 Palestinians in Area C are directly affected by Israeli restrictions and control over water and sanitation infrastructure”, he said. “350,000 people in the West Bank are vulnerable to settler violence and over 260,000 people, including Palestine refugees, are in need of humanitarian healthcare. Access to education is heavily compromised by an increase in education-related violations, affecting almost 40,000 students and teachers.”
“Against this worrying backdrop of needs in the oPt, the massive funding crisis faced by UNRWA, one of the main service providers and a main employer, particularly in Gaza, should be of concern to everyone, not just Palestine refugees”, he stressed.
Overall, the 2018 humanitarian plan appeals for US$ 539.7 million to address urgent humanitarian needs in the areas of protection, food security, health, water and sanitation, shelter and education. Of the request, 75 per cent targets Palestinians in Gaza. Half of the overall amount is for UNRWA emergency projects.
13 mar 2018
Spokesman for Gaza's Ministry of Interior, Iyad al-Bozom, on Tuesday said that an explosion targeted the Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah's convoy in the Gaza Strip.
Al-Bozom said in a press statement that the convoy resumed its mission scheduled for Tuesday and that Gaza security services are investigating the incident.
A security source told the PIC that the blast occurred shortly after Hamdallah's convoy arrived in Beit Hanoun in the northern Gaza Strip, affirming that no injuries were reported.
The source added that Hamdallah was not hurt and went on to inaugurate a long-awaited sewage plant in Gaza.
Al-Bozom said in a press statement that the convoy resumed its mission scheduled for Tuesday and that Gaza security services are investigating the incident.
A security source told the PIC that the blast occurred shortly after Hamdallah's convoy arrived in Beit Hanoun in the northern Gaza Strip, affirming that no injuries were reported.
The source added that Hamdallah was not hurt and went on to inaugurate a long-awaited sewage plant in Gaza.
10 mar 2018
A Palestinian youth died and another was injured on Saturday evening due to an accidental blast in Qlaibu area north of the Gaza Strip.
Local media sources quoted medical sources as saying that the martyr was identified as Ibrahim Farahat, 27.
The wounded man was taken to the Indonesian Hospital north of Gaza where he is still receiving treatment for his injury, the sources added.
Local media sources quoted medical sources as saying that the martyr was identified as Ibrahim Farahat, 27.
The wounded man was taken to the Indonesian Hospital north of Gaza where he is still receiving treatment for his injury, the sources added.
Umm al Fahm, one of the largest Palestinian cities in Israel’s 1948 borders, continues to lack street names and house numbers.Of the 301 street names selected by the Umm al-Fahm municipality, the Israeli Interior Ministry has stalled the approval of 60.
All of the street names that have not been approved, Adalah: the Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel reports, bear the names of Palestinian leaders, such as Mahmoud Darwish, Yasser Arafat, and Umm al-Fahm’s former mayors.
Attorney for Adalah Sawsan Zaher emphasizes that under Israeli law, the Interior Minister has no authority to prevent a municipality from naming streets as it wishes. Israeli municipalities are required by law only to notify the Ministry of new street names.
Member of Knesset Yousef Jabareen (Joint List), who is also a resident of the city, explains:
The right to a residential address is a citizen’s basic right and it is inconceivable that in the 21st century in a city of 60,000 residents such as Umm al-Fahm, there are no street names or house numbers. The naming of streets is not strictly a technical matter, but rather allows the commemoration of cultural identity and national narrative. The Interior Ministry’s red tape is part of the ongoing denial of our unique identity as a national homeland minority.
Adalah and Jabareen sent a letter to Israeli Interior Minister Aryeh Deri and Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit demanding the approval of the list of street names submitted by Umm al-Fahm.
Umm al-Fahem, with a population of 60,0000, is one of the largest Palestinian cities within Israel’s 1948 borders.
All of the street names that have not been approved, Adalah: the Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel reports, bear the names of Palestinian leaders, such as Mahmoud Darwish, Yasser Arafat, and Umm al-Fahm’s former mayors.
Attorney for Adalah Sawsan Zaher emphasizes that under Israeli law, the Interior Minister has no authority to prevent a municipality from naming streets as it wishes. Israeli municipalities are required by law only to notify the Ministry of new street names.
Member of Knesset Yousef Jabareen (Joint List), who is also a resident of the city, explains:
The right to a residential address is a citizen’s basic right and it is inconceivable that in the 21st century in a city of 60,000 residents such as Umm al-Fahm, there are no street names or house numbers. The naming of streets is not strictly a technical matter, but rather allows the commemoration of cultural identity and national narrative. The Interior Ministry’s red tape is part of the ongoing denial of our unique identity as a national homeland minority.
Adalah and Jabareen sent a letter to Israeli Interior Minister Aryeh Deri and Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit demanding the approval of the list of street names submitted by Umm al-Fahm.
Umm al-Fahem, with a population of 60,0000, is one of the largest Palestinian cities within Israel’s 1948 borders.
4 mar 2018
In a renewed attempt to torpedo the Palestinian reconciliation, a senior Palestinian Authority (PA) official has unveiled that there are fundamental disagreements obstructing the efforts to end the national division.
According to al-Araby al-Jadeed, the official said that the weapons of the Palestinian resistance and the issue of employees are the main reasons that disrupt the reconciliation, affirming that the PA wants to disarm the resistance.
Describing the PA as a state, the official affirmed that “there is no system in the world allowing weapons to be in the hands of several parties in the country.”
He also described the file of civil servants who had been appointed over the years of the national division as a main contentious issue, downplaying the recent talks between Hamas and Egyptian officials.
According to al-Araby al-Jadeed, the official said that the weapons of the Palestinian resistance and the issue of employees are the main reasons that disrupt the reconciliation, affirming that the PA wants to disarm the resistance.
Describing the PA as a state, the official affirmed that “there is no system in the world allowing weapons to be in the hands of several parties in the country.”
He also described the file of civil servants who had been appointed over the years of the national division as a main contentious issue, downplaying the recent talks between Hamas and Egyptian officials.
1 mar 2018
A European Union official, yesterday, denied that the bloc had decided to recognize an independent Palestinian state, saying that the conditions for such a decision have not been met.
The European Commission’s Information and Communication Officer in Jerusalem, Shadi Othman, told Quds Press that the decision to recognize the State of Palestine is a “sovereign decision” taken by each of the bloc’s member states separately, and in accordance with their own policies.
“There are no discussions of a new European position on recognizing a Palestinian state.” However, he added that there are “separate” consultations between the Palestinian Authority and a number of European countries to convince them to recognize the Palestinian state.
“But,” Othman said, “the issue of recognizing the Palestinian state was not discussed at any EU joint meeting.”
He reiterated, according to Days of Palestine, that the European Union’s position is “united” with regards to rejecting the US recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, adding that “the bloc’s countries will not transfer their embassies to Jerusalem”.
Yesterday, the Palestinian Ambassador to the European Union, Abdel Rahim Al-Farra, revealed that there are consultations among a number of EU countries to recognize a Palestinian state collectively or individually.
Al-Farra said in remarks to the Voice of Palestine radio that the trend towards recognizing a Palestinian state has increased within the European Union as Israel continues to violate international law and international legitimacy.
He added that the EU foreign ministers’ meeting with the Arab ministerial committee to follow up on the Jerusalem issue in Brussels on Monday stressed on the need to save the two-state solution.
Othman pointed out that Arab ministers and Arab League Secretary-General, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, all stressed the need for a new position to be taken by the European Union with regard to the peace process and the Palestinian issue.
- Fueling Impunity: Israel’s Gas Exports to Europe
The European Commission’s Information and Communication Officer in Jerusalem, Shadi Othman, told Quds Press that the decision to recognize the State of Palestine is a “sovereign decision” taken by each of the bloc’s member states separately, and in accordance with their own policies.
“There are no discussions of a new European position on recognizing a Palestinian state.” However, he added that there are “separate” consultations between the Palestinian Authority and a number of European countries to convince them to recognize the Palestinian state.
“But,” Othman said, “the issue of recognizing the Palestinian state was not discussed at any EU joint meeting.”
He reiterated, according to Days of Palestine, that the European Union’s position is “united” with regards to rejecting the US recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, adding that “the bloc’s countries will not transfer their embassies to Jerusalem”.
Yesterday, the Palestinian Ambassador to the European Union, Abdel Rahim Al-Farra, revealed that there are consultations among a number of EU countries to recognize a Palestinian state collectively or individually.
Al-Farra said in remarks to the Voice of Palestine radio that the trend towards recognizing a Palestinian state has increased within the European Union as Israel continues to violate international law and international legitimacy.
He added that the EU foreign ministers’ meeting with the Arab ministerial committee to follow up on the Jerusalem issue in Brussels on Monday stressed on the need to save the two-state solution.
Othman pointed out that Arab ministers and Arab League Secretary-General, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, all stressed the need for a new position to be taken by the European Union with regard to the peace process and the Palestinian issue.
- Fueling Impunity: Israel’s Gas Exports to Europe
17 feb 2018
The UN said that its secretary-general Antonio Guterres would preside over a special session on Palestine to be held by the Security Council next Tuesday in the presence of Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas.
Spokesman for the secretary-general Stephane Dujarric told a news conference at the UN headquarters in New York that there would a bilateral meeting on the same day between Abbas and Guterres to discuss recent developments on Palestine.
Earlier this month, Security Council president Mansour al-Otaibi said that Abbas would take part in the regular session of the council on Palestine on February 20 and would brief the members on different issues related to the Palestinian cause, including the developments that resulted from the US recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.
Otaibi stated that an unofficial meeting would be held between members of the council on February 22 to discuss the humanitarian situation in the occupied Palestinian territories, especially in the Gaza Strip.
Spokesman for the secretary-general Stephane Dujarric told a news conference at the UN headquarters in New York that there would a bilateral meeting on the same day between Abbas and Guterres to discuss recent developments on Palestine.
Earlier this month, Security Council president Mansour al-Otaibi said that Abbas would take part in the regular session of the council on Palestine on February 20 and would brief the members on different issues related to the Palestinian cause, including the developments that resulted from the US recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.
Otaibi stated that an unofficial meeting would be held between members of the council on February 22 to discuss the humanitarian situation in the occupied Palestinian territories, especially in the Gaza Strip.
8 feb 2018
Economic experts believe that the Palestinian budget and its government finances will most likely not be affected by United States’ cut in aid to Palestine, because the aid was not intended for the treasury, but rather for various projects carried out by non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and implemented through American agencies operating in Palestine.
They downplayed, according to WAFA, the impact of the US decision on the donor countries that provide assistance to the Palestinian people, calling for the need to work on the diplomatic and political level with these countries in order for them to continue to provide financial assistance.
According to data from the Palestinian Finance Ministry, US support for the Palestinian budget has dropped in the past five years to reach $75 million by the end of October of last year.
According to statistics, total aid to the Palestinian people since the establishment of the Palestinian Authority (PA) in 1994 has so far reached about $37 billion, equivalent to an average of $1.5 billion a year. However, aid has fallen in the last two years to between $600 million and $700 million, including US aid.
US aid to the Palestinians is divided into two parts; the first part is provided by Washington to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) to provide services to Palestinian refugees to cover expenses and employees’ salaries, and the second part is provided through the US Agency for International Development (USAID) for its projects in various sectors in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, while the United States does not provide any direct aid or funding to the Palestinian government.
The budget for the current year is $4.4 billion. The budget relies on three sources of revenues to finance its expenses. The first is local taxes of various types, mainly income tax, value added tax and property tax, which constitute about 25% of total revenues and estimated at $1.1 billion dollars annually.
The second source of funding for the budget is the clearing revenues, which are the taxes on imported goods that Israel transfers monthly to the Palestinian government in accordance with the Paris Economic Protocol signed in 1994. Its monetary revenues account for 50% of the total revenues, which amounts to $2.5 billion annually. The third source of funding for the budget is foreign aid, which constitutes about 25% of the budget funding with a total value estimated at $1.2 billion.
Mohammed Shtayyeh, head of the Palestinian Economic Council for Development and Reconstruction (PECDAR), said annual US aid to the Palestinians amounts to $500 million.
“Washington does not provide direct funding to the treasury of the Palestinian Authority,” he said, downplaying the impact of the US decision to cut aid on the PA.
“The Palestinian leadership does not trade national rights for money and does not accept political blackmail,” he said, noting that “since 1994, direct US assistance to the PA was done only two or three times, while the amount of projects financed annually is around $50 to $60 million.”
He explained that in 2016, for example, the United States provided about $390 million to UNRWA, $70 million to the PA, and the rest for the NGOs. In some years, such as 2015, the US did not offer a single penny for the budget.
The basic aid provided to the Palestinian people is the amount provided to UNRWA and not to the PA, said Shtayyeh, which was not affected by the slash in aid while UNRWA was greatly affected.
“This week, the Netherlands, Belgium and Kuwait have offered to help UNRWA, and we are working to urge the international community to compensate UNRWA for the lack in aid,” he said.
Economic expert Nasr Abdul Karim said Palestine cannot give up foreign aid, which amounts to $700 million annually. It will be difficult to make this amount available from any other source, including taxes. It is easier, however, to do away with US aid because only a small portion goes for the budget while the rest for development projects and therefore it is possible to postpone these projects.
He said US aid was not regular in the last 5 to 6 years as a result of political factors during which pressure is applied on the Palestinians to make concessions.
Abdul Karim said that about $50 million or $60 million dollars of the US aid goes to the treasury and finances the budget deficit while the rest is spent through projects and contracts with US agencies working in the Palestinian territories to finance infrastructure projects and for capacity building as well as for technical support and development of the security services.
He added that US aid does not go for the budget, and therefore doing without this aid is possible and does not have impact on the budget and is not the decisive factor in the financial stability of the PA. US President Donald Trump understands that his country’s aid to Palestine, although important but not essential for the life of the Palestinian government, and realizes that the Palestinian government can live without it.
He explained that Trump knows that Israel can stop the money from the Palestinian government but it cannot bear the consequences of the collapse of the PA and therefore preserves the thin thread in the economic relationship with the Palestinians in order to maintain the economic cycle in Palestine.
Economist Samir Abdullah said US assistance to the Palestinian people was greatly reduced since 2013 following the PA’s application for full United Nations membership, first at the Security Council and then at the General Assembly. The aid was mainly for projects implemented by the USAID, which came in two parts, one for infrastructure and the second for projects to facilitate trade. These projects were not very useful because the Israelis were not cooperative in their implementation therefore reducing the worthiness of all American studies and recommendations.
He added that impact of the aid was not visible over the past years and will not affect the Palestinian government in the future. It will cause problems to UNRWA, which will force it to reduce its important services provided to the Palestinian refugees.
They downplayed, according to WAFA, the impact of the US decision on the donor countries that provide assistance to the Palestinian people, calling for the need to work on the diplomatic and political level with these countries in order for them to continue to provide financial assistance.
According to data from the Palestinian Finance Ministry, US support for the Palestinian budget has dropped in the past five years to reach $75 million by the end of October of last year.
According to statistics, total aid to the Palestinian people since the establishment of the Palestinian Authority (PA) in 1994 has so far reached about $37 billion, equivalent to an average of $1.5 billion a year. However, aid has fallen in the last two years to between $600 million and $700 million, including US aid.
US aid to the Palestinians is divided into two parts; the first part is provided by Washington to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) to provide services to Palestinian refugees to cover expenses and employees’ salaries, and the second part is provided through the US Agency for International Development (USAID) for its projects in various sectors in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, while the United States does not provide any direct aid or funding to the Palestinian government.
The budget for the current year is $4.4 billion. The budget relies on three sources of revenues to finance its expenses. The first is local taxes of various types, mainly income tax, value added tax and property tax, which constitute about 25% of total revenues and estimated at $1.1 billion dollars annually.
The second source of funding for the budget is the clearing revenues, which are the taxes on imported goods that Israel transfers monthly to the Palestinian government in accordance with the Paris Economic Protocol signed in 1994. Its monetary revenues account for 50% of the total revenues, which amounts to $2.5 billion annually. The third source of funding for the budget is foreign aid, which constitutes about 25% of the budget funding with a total value estimated at $1.2 billion.
Mohammed Shtayyeh, head of the Palestinian Economic Council for Development and Reconstruction (PECDAR), said annual US aid to the Palestinians amounts to $500 million.
“Washington does not provide direct funding to the treasury of the Palestinian Authority,” he said, downplaying the impact of the US decision to cut aid on the PA.
“The Palestinian leadership does not trade national rights for money and does not accept political blackmail,” he said, noting that “since 1994, direct US assistance to the PA was done only two or three times, while the amount of projects financed annually is around $50 to $60 million.”
He explained that in 2016, for example, the United States provided about $390 million to UNRWA, $70 million to the PA, and the rest for the NGOs. In some years, such as 2015, the US did not offer a single penny for the budget.
The basic aid provided to the Palestinian people is the amount provided to UNRWA and not to the PA, said Shtayyeh, which was not affected by the slash in aid while UNRWA was greatly affected.
“This week, the Netherlands, Belgium and Kuwait have offered to help UNRWA, and we are working to urge the international community to compensate UNRWA for the lack in aid,” he said.
Economic expert Nasr Abdul Karim said Palestine cannot give up foreign aid, which amounts to $700 million annually. It will be difficult to make this amount available from any other source, including taxes. It is easier, however, to do away with US aid because only a small portion goes for the budget while the rest for development projects and therefore it is possible to postpone these projects.
He said US aid was not regular in the last 5 to 6 years as a result of political factors during which pressure is applied on the Palestinians to make concessions.
Abdul Karim said that about $50 million or $60 million dollars of the US aid goes to the treasury and finances the budget deficit while the rest is spent through projects and contracts with US agencies working in the Palestinian territories to finance infrastructure projects and for capacity building as well as for technical support and development of the security services.
He added that US aid does not go for the budget, and therefore doing without this aid is possible and does not have impact on the budget and is not the decisive factor in the financial stability of the PA. US President Donald Trump understands that his country’s aid to Palestine, although important but not essential for the life of the Palestinian government, and realizes that the Palestinian government can live without it.
He explained that Trump knows that Israel can stop the money from the Palestinian government but it cannot bear the consequences of the collapse of the PA and therefore preserves the thin thread in the economic relationship with the Palestinians in order to maintain the economic cycle in Palestine.
Economist Samir Abdullah said US assistance to the Palestinian people was greatly reduced since 2013 following the PA’s application for full United Nations membership, first at the Security Council and then at the General Assembly. The aid was mainly for projects implemented by the USAID, which came in two parts, one for infrastructure and the second for projects to facilitate trade. These projects were not very useful because the Israelis were not cooperative in their implementation therefore reducing the worthiness of all American studies and recommendations.
He added that impact of the aid was not visible over the past years and will not affect the Palestinian government in the future. It will cause problems to UNRWA, which will force it to reduce its important services provided to the Palestinian refugees.
