Payday in the West Bank (archives)
Photo: AP
PA says Israel preventing it from paying salaries
Palestinian government asks Israel for earlier transfer of taxes in order to pay employees ahead of Eid al-Adha holiday
The Palestinian Authority announced Tuesday that it would not be able to pay its employees prior to Eid al-Adha, which is celebrated next week, because Israel
is refusing to transfer funds to the West Bank.
In recent days, the PA has appealed to Israel to transfer tax payments before schedule so that it could pay its thousands of employees by November 25, which would allow them to purchase supplies for the holiday two days later.
The PA usually pays its salaries on the fifth of every month, a large part of which is made up of taxes transferred from Israel.
The authority claims Israel is delaying the payments because of the political crisis that ensued following the former's declaration of its intent to unilaterally declare statehood.
Thus, the Palestinian government says, it will be forced to appeal to banks for a loan in order to pay the salaries. The Prime Minister's Office has not yet published a response.
