Palestinian Authority Cuts Staff Pay in Half

A Palestinian woman walks past shops in Ramallah in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, July 2, 2020, the day the Palestinian Authority said it would be halving May salary payments for public sector workers. Photo by REUTERS/Mohamad Torokman.
A Palestinian woman walks past shops in Ramallah in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, July 2, 2020, the day the Palestinian Authority said it would be halving May salary payments for public sector workers. Photo by REUTERS/Mohamad Torokman.
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Palestinian Authority Cuts Staff Pay in Half

A Palestinian woman walks past shops in Ramallah in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, July 2, 2020, the day the Palestinian Authority said it would be halving May salary payments for public sector workers. Photo by REUTERS/Mohamad Torokman.
A Palestinian woman walks past shops in Ramallah in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, July 2, 2020, the day the Palestinian Authority said it would be halving May salary payments for public sector workers. Photo by REUTERS/Mohamad Torokman.

Palestinian Finance Minister Shukri Bishara announced that the government would only pay 50 percent of salaries for its employees for the months of May and June, with a minimum of 1,750 shekels.

This will affect thousands of workers as the Palestinian Authority (PA) refuses to receive its taxation revenues from Israel.

The transfers, about USD190 million a month, make up more than half of the PA's budget and stem from duties on imports that reach the West Bank and Gaza via Israeli ports. The PA snubbed the taxes after declaring bilateral agreements with Israel null in May.

Bishara pointed out that the PA is currently faced with three financial challenges; the first one resulting from the Palestinian leadership’s protest against Israel’s annexation move, the second resulting from Israel’s attempts to sue Palestinian banks, and the third is the outcome of grappling with the economic consequences of the coronavirus pandemic.

“In June, the PA received zero clearance funds at a time when local revenues declined by 280 million shekels. Besides, the PA did not receive 100 million shekels in external financial aid, a situation which resulted in the PA not receiving 380 million shekels in revenues,” said the Minister.

In terms of the monthly expenses, Bishara pointed out that they totaled 760 million shekels, including 550 million shekels accounting for the minimum public wages besides 210 million shekels in other expenses, particularly health expenses following the coronavirus outbreak.

The resulting government budget gap was covered through a bank loan of 250 million shekels, he stated, adding that those whose salaries are below 1,750 shekels will be fully paid, and those whose salaries are above it will receive 50 percent of their salaries.

Bishara said that the payment of fifty percent of salaries will continue in the coming period "as long as the tax revenues crisis continues." Yet, he added that in case more funds were available, a greater percentage of the salary would be paid next month.



Jerusalem Patriarch Hails Pope’s Commitment to Gaza

Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Archbishop Pierbattista Pizzaballa speaks during a press conference at the Latin Catholic patriarchate at the Old City of Jerusalem, 22 April 2025. (EPA)
Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Archbishop Pierbattista Pizzaballa speaks during a press conference at the Latin Catholic patriarchate at the Old City of Jerusalem, 22 April 2025. (EPA)
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Jerusalem Patriarch Hails Pope’s Commitment to Gaza

Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Archbishop Pierbattista Pizzaballa speaks during a press conference at the Latin Catholic patriarchate at the Old City of Jerusalem, 22 April 2025. (EPA)
Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Archbishop Pierbattista Pizzaballa speaks during a press conference at the Latin Catholic patriarchate at the Old City of Jerusalem, 22 April 2025. (EPA)

The Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, Archbishop Pierbattista Pizzaballa, on Tuesday hailed Pope Francis's support for Gazans and engagement with the small Catholic community in the war-battered Palestinian territory.

The Catholic church's highest authority in the region, who is considered a potential successor to the late pontiff, Pizzaballa told journalists in Jerusalem that "Gaza represents, a little bit, all what was the heart of his pontificate".

Pope Francis, who died on Monday aged 88, advocated peace and "closeness to the poor... and to the neglected one", said the patriarch.

These positions became particularly evident in Francis's response to the Israel-Hamas war which broke out in October 2023, Pizzaballa said.

"He was very close to the community of Gaza, the parish of Gaza, he kept calling them many times -- for a certain period, also every day, every evening at 7 pm," said the patriarch.

He added that by doing so, the pope "became for the community something stable, and also comforting for them, and he knew this".

Out of the Gaza Strip's 2.4 million people, about 1,000 are Christians. Most of them are Orthodox, but according to the Latin Patriarchate, there are about 135 Catholics in the territory.

Since the early days of the war, members of the Catholic community have been sheltering at Holy Family Church compound in Gaza City, and some Orthodox Christians have also found refuge there.

Pope Francis repeatedly called for an end to the war. The day before his death, in a final Easter message delivered on Sunday, he condemned the "deplorable humanitarian situation" in the besieged territory.

"Work for justice... but without becoming part of the conflict," said Pizzaballa of the late pontiff's actions.

"For us, for the Church, it leaves an important legacy."

The patriarch thanked the numerous Palestinian and Israeli public figures who have offered their condolences, preferring not to comment on the lack of any official message from Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Even as "the local authorities... were not always happy" with the pope's positions or statements, they were "always very respectful", he said.

Pizzaballa said he will travel to Rome on Wednesday, after leading a requiem mass for the pope at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem in the morning.

As one of the 135 cardinal electors, the Latin patriarch will participate in the conclave to elect a new pope.

Pizzaballa, a 60-year-old Italian Franciscan who also speaks English and Hebrew, arrived in Jerusalem in 1990 and was made a cardinal in September 2023, just before the Gaza war began.

His visits to Gaza and appeals for peace since then have attracted international attention.