Ramallah / PNN/
Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa said the Palestinian government is relentlessly working to prevent backsliding in the level of services provided to citizens and ensure fulfillment of its financial obligations towards all parties.
Speaking at the start of the cabinet’s weekly meeting in Ramallah, Mustafa stressed the government’s continued efforts to fulfill its obligations towards the employees in the Gaza Strip, despite the objection of the Israeli side and its punitive measures by deducting funds under the pretext that part of this amount includes salaries, employee allowances, and expenses for the Gaza Strip, which augments the cost to the government.
He stressed that the government would not allow the extremist leadership in the occupying state, Israel, to weaken its ability to provide basic services to citizens and fulfill its financial obligations towards employees, service providers, contractors and others, through the financial war it is waging.
He said that the government is working on several tracks to provide the necessary financial resources, making continuous efforts with a group of brotherly Arab countries and a group of European countries as well as the European Union and international financial institutions, to mobilize financial support for the public treasury at this critical stage, noting, "We have found encouraging responses from many of these parties and an understanding of the sensitive situation and its economic, social and security repercussions.”
Mustafa affirmed continued work with several friendly parties to secure the release of Palestinian clearance funds withheld by the Israeli side in violation of international law and signed agreements.
"Although we are confident that the financial situation will improve in the coming months, we are still working to have at least some of this money arrive in the next two weeks to meet our commitments", he stressed.
The Prime Minister said the situation this year was different; particularly since around 39,000 students in the Gaza Strip were deprived of taking public high school exams. “This is a very traumatic time for us.”
