EU contributes €22.5 million to pay PA salaries
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
August 2, 2011 - 12:00am


BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- The European Union announced Tuesday that it would contribute €22.5 million to help the Palestinian Authority pay July salaries and pensions for around 83,000 Palestinian public service workers and pensioners. The EU announced that the money would be channeled through PEGASE, the European mechanism for support to the Palestinians, a statement said. "This is a clear message of our solid commitment toward the Palestinian people at this critical time" said Christian Berger, the EU representative.


Fayyad seeks $300 million to ease cash crisis
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
July 27, 2011 - 12:00am


CAIRO (AFP) - Palestinian prime minister Salam Fayyad said Tuesday that the Palestinian Authority needed $300 million "urgently" to help ease a financial crisis. The PA "urgently needs $300 million to overcome the bottleneck and deal with the financial crisis," he told reporters in Cairo after an extraordinary meeting of Arab League representatives. The crisis stems from the fact that pledged aid has not yet come through. Fayyad said the PA had received $331 million in 2011, including $79 million from Arab countries, as well as an additional $30 million from Saudi Arabia.


Before a Diplomatic Showdown, a Budget Crisis Saps Palestinians’ Confidence
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Ethan Bronner - July 27, 2011 - 12:00am


RAMALLAH, West Bank — As the Palestinian Authority faces some of the hardest choices in its history regarding relations with Israel, membership in the United Nations and unity with Hamas, it is mired in a severe economic crisis, leading many here to a sense of foreboding and despair.


Obama Administration defends aid to Palestinians
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Al-Arabiya
by Angela Simaan - July 13, 2011 - 12:00am


Obama Administration officials defended US aid to the Palestinian Authority on Tuesday, telling Congress the funds are critical for progress on Israeli-Palestinian peace process. “Our assistance gives us leverage,” said Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Jacob Walles while testifying before a House Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia. “There are practical benefits… improvement in security and helping develop institutions needed for a two-state solution,” he said


Abbas: PA may not pay salaries next month
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
July 11, 2011 - 12:00am


RAMALLAH (Ma’an) -- Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas revealed on Saturday that the PA is encountering a serious financial crisis and might not be able to pay civil servant salaries next month. Abbas had warned of the measures in a meeting with leaders of Palestinian popular organizations Friday night. “We might pay a half salary depending on the money our treasury receives.” Abbas warned against any negative reactions such as strikes or protests, especially by trade unions, stating that such protests would only harm what the PA has accomplished.


A Palestinian View: We are ready for freedom and independence
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bitterlemons
by Ghassan Khatib - (Blog) July 4, 2011 - 12:00am


After its last meeting, the executive committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization announced officially its intention to go to the United Nations to seek the help of the international community in ending Israel's occupation of the Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem, achieving freedom and independence and enjoying the legitimate rights of self-determination in accordance with international law and United Nations resolutions.


Palestinians Unable to Pay Full Salaries of Employees
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Khaled Abu Aker, Isabel Kershner - July 3, 2011 - 12:00am


The Palestinian Authority will pay its employees only half their monthly salaries in July, the prime minister told reporters here on Sunday, because of what he said was “the failure of donors, including our Arab brothers, to fulfill their pledges.” Prime Minister Salam Fayyad added that the salaries would be paid in full when the promised funds arrived.


Saudis give $70m for Palestinian housing in Gaza
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Statesman
June 22, 2011 - 12:00am


A U.N. agency aiding Palestinian refugees said Wednesday that Saudi Arabia is contributing $70 million for new housing units in the Gaza Strip. Israel has authorized construction of the 1,200 new homes and 18 badly needed schools in Gaza, in what would be one of the largest housing projects in the seaside territory in years. Israel, which controls the cargo crossings into Gaza, has largely banned the entry of construction materials into the coastal strip since Hamas militants seized control in 2007. Israel withdrew from Gaza in 2005.


PNA starts paying salaries after getting Algerian fund
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
June 8, 2011 - 12:00am


RAMALLAH, June 8 (Xinhua) -- The Palestinian National Authority (PNA) will start paying its employees on Wednesday after receiving an Algerian fiscal assistance. Before evening, employees can get their salaries via ATM, and starting from Thursday, they can get it from banks, said Yousef Al- Zomor, PNA's main accountant, noting the 26.4 million-U.S.-dollar Algerian fund reached PNA's treasury Wednesday, according to the Voice of Palestine Radio. The PNA needs 150 million dollars monthly to pay for some 148, 000 employees in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.


Interview: Gaza needs 5 bln USD for reconstruction process: official
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
by Emad Drimly, Osama Radi - June 2, 2011 - 12:00am


Head of Palestinian Contractors Union Osama Kaheil said Wednesday that the Gaza Strip is in need of five billion U.S. dollars for the reconstruction process including the infrastructure and the economical sectors that had been paralyzed for years. Kaheil said in an interview with Xinhua that the Gaza Strip is not only in need of reconstructing what the Israeli occupation had destroyed during the three-week Israeli operation Cast Lead in late 2008, adding "the Gaza Strip is in need of comprehensive reconstruction process that includes all sectors."



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