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Hamas wins Bir Zeit Student Council elections
International Middle East Media Center 4/19/2006
Wednesday, Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas, won the biggest number of seats in the Student Council elections in Bir Zeit University, near the West Bank city of Ramallah. The Public Relations Office at the university reported that Hamas candidates won 23 seats of the 51 seats making up the student assembly; Bir Zeit University has a student population of more than 7000 students. Meanwhile, Fateh movement, the traditional rival of Hamas, won 18 seats while the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) won only five seats. The Islamic Jihad and an independent list won two seats each, the remaining seat was won by the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine. According to Palestinian political analysts, Hamas and in spite of the financial and economic crisis has maintained popularity among the Palestinians.
Despair amongst PA employees with further delays in salary as US, EU cuts aid to Palestians
International Middle East Media Center 4/14/2006
Despair and fear is on the rise among Palestinian Authority employees [one of the largest sectors of the employed in Palestine] because of the delay in getting their salaries. After the European Union, and other countries declared they would cease sending financial assistance to the Palestinian government after the Hamas party won the Palestinian Legislative Council elections, a major percentage of Palestinians are going without paychecks. In the recent past, before the Hamas win, millions of dollars of aid came to the Palestinian government which helped immensely to pay employees in a land frozen by closures, checkpoints, attacks on agricultural lands, and production facilities. Now the Hamas government is running on next to nothing.
Hamas rejects Abbas security plan
AlJazeera 4/6/2006
The Palestinian prime minister has rejected a decision by the president to assume security control over the Gaza Strip''s border crossings. The decision by Mahmoud Abbas on Wednesday night highlights tensions with Hamas in the wake of the Islamist group''s victory over the president''s long-dominant Fatah in elections in January. Officials close to Abbas, also known as Abu Mazen, said he had come under pressure from the European Union, which threatened to withdraw its monitors from the key Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt in response to Hamas''s rise to power. But Ismail Haniyeh, the prime minister, said on Thursday: "The government does not accept the creation of parallel bodies that may take away its authority.
Palestinian PM Says Hamas Has the Power
The Guardian 4/6/2006
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) - The new Palestinian prime minister said Thursday that his Cabinet will take control of the Palestinian security forces, putting his Hamas-led government on a collision course with President Mahmoud Abbas. Deepening the tension, Abbas installed a longtime ally as head of the three security branches in a battle for control of the 58,000-member police force, and he told Hamas it had to clear all foreign policy moves with him. Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh told The Associated Press that he rejects any attempts to take power away from Hamas, which won Jan. 25 parliamentary elections. His Cabinet was sworn in last week.
Hamas: We inherited a government with an empty treasury!
International Middle East Media Center 4/7/2006
Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniya told the first meeting of the Hamas-led cabinet that the government is facing a severe financial crisis, saying, "The Ministry of Finance has inherited an entirely empty treasury, in addition to the debts of the ministry and the government in general," Haniya said, without giving any figures on the Palestinian Authority (PA)’s debts. The Prime Minister noted that the new government is doing its best to pay the salaries of 140,000 Palestinian Authority workers despite a cash crisis mainly caused by Israel’s decision to seize Palestinian tax money after Hamas won the January legislative elections.
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 Conflict..
Gunmen take over Palestinian Cabinet
AlJazeera 4/13/2006
Palestinian gunmen briefly took over the Cabinet building on Thursday, protesting against the refusal of the new Hamas government to meet their demands for perks and promotions. The gunmen were from the al-Aqsa Martyrs'' Brigades, a military wing of Fatah. Fatah, which dominated Palestinian politics for decades, was defeated by Hamas in January parliament elections. About 20 al-Aqsa gunmen seized the three-story Cabinet building in Ramallah for about an hour, before members of the security forces persuaded them to leave. Many of the gunmen also work in the security forces. Earlier on Thursday, the group had shut down the Transportation Ministry, forcing employees to leave the building.
Israeli missiles hit Gaza compound
AlJazeera 4/4/2006
The target was near President Mahmoud Abbas''s office -- Israeli missiles have hit a Palestinian security compound in Gaza, the first such air strike in two years. Israeli shells on Tuesday also killed a Palestinian in the north of the strip after rocket attacks on the Jewish state. The missile attack in Gaza City wounded a policeman. Hamas said Israel was trying to send a message in response to the Islamic group''s victory in January parliamentary elections. Israel said it was responding to Palestinian cross-border rocket attacks.... The Israeli military said it had carried out two separate air attacks, one on an open field in northern Gaza from where resistance fighters fire rockets, and the other on an "open, unpopulated space" in Gaza City.
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Diplomacy..
U.S.: Hamas, Iran rekindling hatred of Jews
YNet News 4/28/2006
Deputy secretary of state uses Holocaust remembrance to warn of new efforts by Iran, Hamas to incite hatred of Jews; Israel''s ambassador to U.S. compares Iranian president to Hitler -- Deputy Secretary of State Robert Zoellick used a Holocaust remembrance ceremony to warn of new efforts by Iran and the Palestinian group Hamas to incite hatred of the Jews. At a national commemoration at the U.S. Capitol, Zoellick said the victory by Hamas in January''s Palestinian elections hearkened back to Israel''s founding in 1947 when its neighbors refused to recognize its right to exist. ... "Instead of facing up to the challenges of creating a democratic Palestinian state, Hamas has retreated to blaming the Palestinians'' problems on the Jews. "
PA official: U.S. preventing funds from reaching Palestinians
Ha''aretz 4/23/2006
The United States has given orders to banks not to transfer money to a Hamas-led Palestinian government -- A stern U.S. warning to international financial institutions has made it impossible for the Palestinian Authority to receive funding since the Islamic Hamas group took power, a top Palestinian official said Saturday. It was the first time a Palestinian official has admitted the U.S. has influenced financial institutions. Israel, the United States, the European Union, Canada and other countries have frozen financial assistance to the Palestinian Authority since Hamas took power last month after sweeping January parliamentary elections. In an attempt to help the cash-strapped Palestinian Authority make ends meet, Arab countries pledged to give the Palestinians $55 million in monthly aid.
Support to the Palestinians -- Norway''s views
ReliefWeb/Government of Norway 4/20/2006
1. The Palestinian elections in January provided the basis for the Hamas-led Palestinian Authority which has now been formed. The elections were carried out in accordance with established democratic practice. 2. Norway supports the aim of a two-state solution, where a viable Palestinian state and Israel are able to live side by side in peace within secure and recognised borders. Norway has provided substantial support to the Palestinian people and the Palestinian Authority for many years as a means of promoting such a solution. We hope that this support can be continued...
Report: Russia to give PA $10M in aid; Denmark: Hamas faces int''l isolation
Ha''aretz 4/19/2006
Russia will give the Hamas-led Palestinian Authority $10 million in funding, a newspaper reported Tuesday. The European Union and the United States have cut off aid to the Palestinian government in protest of the militant group''s refusal to recognize Israel and renounce violence since its January victory in legislative elections. The Izvestia newspaper, citing an unidentified Russian Foreign Ministry official and Palestinian Finance Minister Omar Abdel Razek, reported that Russia would contribute $10 million and is in talks with the Palestinians about the timing of the transfer.
Japan halts aid to Palestinians
YNet News 4/18/2006
No new aid commitments to PA until Hamas government demonstrates support for peace, Japanese Foreign Ministry official says -- Japan will not make any new aid commitments to the Palestinian Authority until the Hamas government demonstrates its support for peace with Israel, a Japanese Foreign Ministry official said Tuesday. Japan, which has provided USD 804 million in aid to the Palestinians since 1993, will continue to honor aid commitments made before Hamas won the January 25 elections, ministry official Akira Chiba said.... "This has been our position ever since Hamas won their elections," Chiba said.
Abbas meets Lieberman
Ma''an News 4/18/2006
Ramallah-Ma''an-Palestinian President, Mr. Mahmoud Abbas, received American Congressman, Mr. Joseph Lieberman in his office in Ramallah. They discussed the current situation in Palestine and the American suspension of aid to the Palestinians after Hamas won the elections and formed the new PA government. Spokesman for the Palestinian Presidency, Mr. Nabil Abu Rdeinah said, " We told Lieberman that we want the US Administration and Congress to take a more positive stance with regard to aid to the Palestinians and the peace process. ” Abu Rdeinah clarified that Abbas asked Lieberman to put a stop to the Israeli escalation.... Lieberman said that there are American conditions that the Palestinian Government must meet...
Bush lets Hamas-led PA keep U.S. office open
Ha''aretz 4/14/2006
Citing the goal of a lasting Middle East peace, U.S. President George W. Bush waived legislative restrictions and allowed the Hamas-led Palestinian Authority to keep its Washington office open for at least six months. The United States has designated Hamas a terrorist organization, and Hamas'' victory in Palestinian parliamentary elections in January resulted in a no-contact policy with the Palestinian Cabinet and its ministries. Representation of the Palestinian Authority in Washington, however, remains a useful channel of communication to Mahmoud Abbas, who remains committed to the peace process and is still chairman of the authority, White House spokesman Ken Lisaius said Thursday.
Russia to continue direct aid to Palestinian government
ReliefWeb 4/11/2006
April 11, 2006 -- Russia today pledged to continue sending financial help to the Palestinian government led by the Islamic militant group Hamas. Addressing reporters in Moscow after talks with his Jordanian counterpart Adbedelah al-Khatib, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov criticized a European Union decision to freeze all direct aid to the Palestinian leadership, calling it a "mistake. "Hamas, which won January''s legislative elections, is on the EU''s list of terrorist organizations. Brussels says it will resume all direct aid shipments to the Palestinian government only when Hamas renounces violence and recognizes Israel. But Lavrov said the best way to achieve this objective is "to work with Hamas, not boycott it.
Halting Palestinian govt aid "a mistake" - Russia
ReliefWeb 4/11/2006
MOSCOW, April 11 (Reuters) - Halting aid to the Hamas-led Palestinian government is a mistake, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Tuesday, Interfax news agency reported. The European Union this week temporarily suspended direct aid to the Palestinian government to pressure it to recognise Israel, end violence and accept peace accords. Lavrov said Russia would not be halting aid but he said Hamas must meet the demands of international mediators. "But in order for that to happen, we need to work with Hamas, and not boycott them," Interfax quoted Lavrov as saying. Lavrov said that it was wrong to deny aid to the Palestinians "purely because in democratic elections they elected a government made up entirely out of Hamas members. "
Council of Europe calls for Hamas to respect democratic values
ReliefWeb 4/11/2006
STRASBOURG, France, April 11, 2006 (AFP) - The Council of Europe Tuesday passed a resolution on the Middle East following Hamas'' victory in Palestinian elections, declaring that democracy does not end with voting but requires tolerance and non-violence. The council''s parliamentary assembly, sitting in Strasbourg, called on the militant Hamas group now heading the Palestinian government to recognize Israel, to lay down its weapons and condemn acts of terrorism. "The Assembly notes that democracy does not end with elections," the resolution said. It added that democracy also represents values, including the rejection of violence as a political tool and respect for the rule of law.
Palestinian President: Israeli escalation negates talks of justice
International Middle East Media Center 4/10/2006
Palestinian Presidential spokesperson, Nabil Abu Rudeineh, condemned the Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip. In air strikes and artillery shelling, Israeli forces have killed sixteen Palestinians since Friday, including a small child and his father. Speaking exclusively with Palestine News Network (PNN), Abu Rudeineh said, "We reject the Israeli attacks, particularly as they are coming from the internal Israeli politic after their elections. The relentless attacks are creating a negative atmosphere for all Palestinian parties and factions. "This is the point, according to many Palestinian analysts and journalists, to foment the already rocky situation in the new Palestinian government. Abu Rudeineh continued, "As we have said, he escalations help neither the stability nor the security. "
Olmert: Abbas has lost authority, is not address for peace talks
Ha''aretz 4/8/2006
Israel will not try to negotiate a peace deal with Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas because he lost authority since Hamas'' rise to power, Prime Minister-designate Ehud Olmert said in an interview published Saturday. It marked the first time Olmert stated clearly that he will not negotiate with Abbas as long as the new Hamas government does not recognize Israel, renounce violence and accept existing peace accords. Hamas has said repeatedly it would not revise its positions, though some leaders in the group have hinted at a readiness to moderate. Hamas took power last week, after winning January parliament elections. Abbas, who was elected separately last year, wields considerable power and is in charge of negotiations with Israel.
Egypt says is recommending Hamas stop terror
Ha''aretz 4/5/2006
Egypt is recommending that Hamas and Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh stop the "violence" - terror against Israel - Osama El Baz, President Hosni Mubarak''s advisor, told Haaretz. El Baz says he met with Haniyeh for four hours shortly after the PA elections, and was impressed by his seriousness and courage in seeking an agreement with Israel. "We in Egypt told Haniyeh that he must learn from our experience in contacts with Israel," El Baz said. "We told him, ''Persuade the Israeli public of the sincerity of your intentions. Stop the violence and then see what you get in return. And even if the Israeli government does not respond in kind, the Israeli public will force its desire for peace on its government.
Canadian aid programs in the West Bank and Gaza
ReliefWeb/CIDA 4/3/2006
Following elections in the West Bank and Gaza, a new Hamas-led government was sworn-in on March 29. The same day, Canada announced that it is suspending all projects providing direct assistance to the Palestinian Authority (PA) and restructuring projects which may be of direct benefit to the PA. This decision was made because the new Hamas-led government has not addressed the concerns raised by Canada and others concerning non-violence, the recognition of Israel, and acceptance of previous agreements and obligations, including the Roadmap for Peace.
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Human
Rights..
UN: “Gaza on verge of a humanitarian disaster”
International Middle East Media Center 4/4/2006
Several United Nations organizations are warning that the Gaza Strip is on the verge of a humanitarian disaster as a result of the Israeli closure and isolation to the Gaza Strip leaving the people without money and food. David Shearer, head of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), told officials at the Israeli Foreign Ministry that if Israel does not alter its policies, Gaza will face a humanitarian crisis as bad as the one in Kosovo. The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) warned that the lack of basic food supplies caused by the Israeli frequent closures to the Karni crossing is increasing the number of hungry people especially since the financial aid to the Palestinian Authority was halted after the Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas, won the legislative elections.
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People..
Poll: Most Palestinians want talks with Israel
Ha''aretz 4/26/2006
Although Hamas'' popularity has risen in the first two months since its late January parliamentary victory, three-quarters of Palestinians want negotiations with Israel, leading pollster Khalil Shakaki has found. In a poll conducted March 16-18, Shakaki found that 47 percent of the 1,270 respondents in the West Bank and Gaza Strip said they would bring Hamas to power again if elections were held a second time. However, 75 percent said they want Hamas to hold negotiations with Israel. Hamas, meanwhile, issued an official announcement on Tuesday denying repeated Jordanian accusations that it had sent activists to Jordan to carry out a terror attack.
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International..
Arabs heed Obama’s call for change
Alaa Bayoumi, Al Jazeera 2/4/2008
If it were not for Barack Obama, many Arabs would not even bother to follow the results of the US presidential race on Super Tuesday. Such gloomy views could be attributed to Arabs’ negative attitudes toward governments and politics in general. Arabs have been living under authoritarian governments, many of them US allies, for decades. And the US’s traditional support for Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestinian land, coupled with the war on Iraq, has meant Arab mistrust of the US has dipped to new lows in recent years. Against this backdrop, it is easy to see why many Arabs will not be following the latest news from the US presidential primary elections. ’Offensive’ rhetoric Many do not see any serious differences between the Republican and Democratic candidates who are taking part in the race.
Ahmadinejad battles on the home front
Khody Akhavi, Asia Times 2/5/2008
WASHINGTON - Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad has garnered headlines around the world for his defiance of Washington, as well as his rhetorical grandstanding on Palestinian issues, Israel and his government’s alleged support of Shi’ite militias in Iraq. Still, it appears that Iran’s parliamentary elections in March will be determined less by debates over the country’s foreign policy than by rising criticism of incompetence and economic mismanagement of conservatives and hardliners in the legislature and in Ahmadinejad’s office." Ahmadinejad is in trouble, not only because his economic policies have not worked; he has managed to antagonize almost the entire Iranian elite because of his exclusivist management style," said Farideh Farhi, an independent researcher on Iran and political scientist at the University of Hawaii.
IRAN: Ahmadinejad Caught Between Reformists and Hardliners
Khody Akhavi, Inter Press Service 1/28/2008
WASHINGTON, Jan 28(IPS) - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has garnered headlines around the world for his defiance of Washington, as well as his rhetorical grandstanding on Palestinian issues, the existence of Israel, and his government’s alleged support of Shiite militias in Iraq. Still, it appears that Iran’s upcoming parliamentary elections in March will be determined less by debates over the country’s foreign policy than by rising criticism of incompetence and economic mismanagement of conservatives and hardliners in the legislature and in the office of the president.
"Ahmadinejad is in trouble, not only because his economic policies have not worked; he has managed to antagonise almost the entire Iranian elite because of his exclusivist management style," said Farideh Farhi, an independent researcher on Iran and political scientist at the University of Hawaii.
Mideast press urges action on Gaza
BBC Online 6/14/2007
The Palestinian press makes an urgent appeal for action to prevent the violence in Gaza from turning into a full-blown civil war, urging President Abbas to call a state of emergency and ask for intervention from the region’s Arab states. Papers in the wider Middle East blame the violence on Palestinian leaders and demand fresh elections to resolve the power struggle between the Hamas and Fatah factions. In Israel, commentators ponder how the country should react to the Palestinian infighting, with one advocating a total withdrawal of Israeli troops and settlers from the occupied territories. -
Palestinian AL-QUDS --
It seems we have reached the point of no return in this infighting and are witnessing the beginnings of civil war.
Lebanon factions resume talks
AlJazeera 3/22/2006
Leaders of Lebanon''s rival factions have resumed talks on the fate of the country''s pro-Syrian president and a UN call for the disarmament of the Hizb Allah group. The talks come amid signs that an agreement remains elusive on the two issues that threaten to destabilise the country. The discussions, which began on 2 March, have focused on a 2004 UN Security Council resolution that calls for disarming Hizb Allah and Palestinian fighters. The resolution also urged new presidential elections. It was passed in September 2004, days before Lebanese legislators extended Emile Lahoud''s term for three years.
Chirac vows ''voice of reason'' on Iran
Daily Star 3/6/2006
French president labels cartoon row a ''clash of ignorance'' -- RIYADH: French President Jacques Chirac said Sunday the West would still reach out to Iran for a deal on its disputed nuclear file, in the first address to the Saudi consultative council by a foreign leader. The president''s wide-ranging speech in Riyadh also covered Lebanon, Syria, the Palestinian elections, reform in the conservative monarchy and the "clash of civilizations" between the West and Islam. "In Iran, the voice of reason that France, the United Kingdom and Germany wanted to be heard on the nuclear file has not been heard, for the time being," Chirac told the appointed advisory council, an all-male body of 150 members.
Palestinian Americans Push Religious Pluralism in P.A.
Forward 2/17/2006
WASHINGTON — Palestinian American activists are vowing to lobby Hamas against turning the West Bank and Gaza into an Islamic theocracy. Anxious about the victory of the Islamic fundamentalist group in last month''s Palestinian parliamentary elections, Palestinian American leaders say that they will push for laws favoring American-style church-state separation, pluralism, equality and inclusiveness. "We are at the time when defining decisions may very well be made in Palestine," said Ziad Asali, president of the American Task Force on Palestine. The task force is a prominent pro-Palestinian advocacy group in Washington.
Disagreement With Gaza Disengagement Sours Orthodox on Bush
Forward 6/24/2005
As Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice met with Israeli and Palestinian leaders this week, cracks were emerging in the coalition of Jewish conservatives that rallied this past November around the claim that President Bush was "the best friend Israel ever had in Washington." Many influential Republican loyalists and non-Orthodox hawks appear to be remaining firm in their support of Bush. But a growing number of Orthodox activists who were avidly courted by Bush in the 2004 election are feeling distinctly dismayed as the administration embraces Israel''s Gaza disengagement plan and presses for more aid to the Palestinians.
Elections give hope to Palestinian refugees
Daily Star 6/7/2005
BEIRUT: Palestinian refugees living in squalid and overcrowded camps dare to hope the legislative elections will directly improve their lives. "I have been monitoring the elections to see if they will bring change," said Mohammad al-Daoud, 21, outside Beirut''s Chatilla camp where portraits of candidates jostle those of the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. Some 400,000 Palestinian refugees live in 12 refugee compounds in South Lebanon, where conditions are often harsh and permanent citizenship is denied to all. Fouad Abed, 36, complained that the candidate he was rooting for lost in the first part of the four-stage elections that took place May 29.
El Salvador group opens park in honor of late Palestinian leader Arafat
Ha''aretz 5/25/2005
SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador - A new plaza on Jerusalem Avenue was inaugurated Wednesday in honor of the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, despite criticism from the Israeli Embassy in El Salvador. "We are making a monument to the maximum leader of the struggle for the liberation of Palestine," said one of the promoters, businessman John Nasser, as the square with a large bust of Arafat was inaugurated. Migrants from Palestine flowed to El Salvador for decades in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and several families became prominent in business and politics. Both President Tony Saca and his rival in last year''s election, Schafik Handal, are sons of families that migrated from the Palestinian city of Bethlehem.
AIPAC Losing this Fight
Electronic Intifada 3/7/2005
Press Release, Council for the National Interest -- AIPAC has been taken aback by new Mideast resolutions. Last month the House and the Senate each passed their own resolutions expressing support for the Palestinian Authority in the wake of their successful presidential elections. The Washington Jewish Week reported that many on the Hill feel the Israel lobby was caught asleep on this one. The problem for the lobby was simple: popular support and optimism after the Palestinian presidential elections took the wind out of any possible grounds for raising opposition to the resolutions.
Arabs warmly welcome Abbas election
Middle East Online 1/10/2005
Analysts, officials hail election of Mahmud Abbas as Palestinian leader, pay tribute to strong voter turnout. -- Arabs gave a warm welcome Monday to the election of Mahmud Abbas as Palestinian leader, admiring a successful exercise in Arab democracy and hoping that a strong voter turnout will bolster his position. Analyst Nabil Abdel Fattah of Cairo''s Al Ahram Center of Strategic Studies said the high turnout and the strong result for Mahmud Abbas "gives him the necessary legitimacy for his plans to resolve the conflict" with Israel.
Press Review: ''The hour of truth has arrived''
The Guardian 1/11/2005
Mahmoud Abbas wins but how will events now develop? -- Times, Editorial, January 10 - "After [Sunday''s] election ... there was a palpable feeling that something had changed ... Mahmoud Abbas, the pragmatist favoured by Israel and the outside world ... won a triumphant victory ... to succeed the late ... Yasser Arafat as president of the Palestinian Authority ...
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Economy..
Rumours that Al Quds Open University has been sold to private investors
Ma''an News 4/25/2006
Bethlehem- Ma''an- The Al Quds Open University was sold to three investors two months ago, university students have learned. Ma''an learned that a group of students went to complain to the university president after they heard this from PLC spokesman Dr Mahmoud Ramahi. Ma''an asked the spokesman about the news and rumours amongst the student. Dr Ramahi told Ma''an that the Palestinian government has no authority over the Palestinian universities, but in regard to this university, the government has some kind of control over it. However, he informed Ma''an, "We heard that the university was sold to one or two investors after the elections and we can''t reveal the name as we have transferred the whole subject over to the committee in charge in the PLC. "
Gov’t to deduct PA debts to Israel from tax transfers
Globes 4/10/2006
The transfer to the PA of tax revenues collected by Israel on the PA’s behalf amount to at least $54 million per month. -- The government will continue to deduct the Palestinian Authority’s (PA) debts to Israel, particular Israeli infrastructure companies (Israel Electric Corporation (IEC), Mekorot National Water Company, fuel companies and hospitals), from transfers of tax revenues, even though transfers to the PA were halted on February 19, following Hamas’s victory in the PA elections.... The decision to legally redefine the deduction of PA debts was taken in order to allow Israeli bodies to continue to provide essential services, thereby preventing a humanitarian disaster in the PA.
Palestinian Authority confirms it cannot pay March salaries
Ha''aretz 4/9/2006
The Palestinian Authority confirmed on Sunday it could not pay March salaries to public employees because a widening international boycott of the Hamas-led government meant money had dried up. "The financial situation is very difficult and there is no way to give a specific date for paying salaries," Finance Minister Omar Abdel-Razeq told al-Ayyam newspaper. The PA has faced the threat of an economic collapse because the United States, Europe and Israel have cut off funds since elections brought in a government last month led by the Islamic militants whose charter seeks to destroy Israel. Abdel-Razeq had earlier said he hoped to pay the salaries of 140,000 government employees by mid-April, after promised aid from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates.
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