PNA to ratify budget with shortfall
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
March 27, 2012 - 12:00am

RAMALLAH, March 27 (Xinhua) -- The Palestinian National Authority (PNA) will ratify its 2012 fiscal year budget at 3 billion U.S. dollars, with a shortfall of 1.3 billion dollars, a Palestinian official said Tuesday. Ghassan Al-Khatib, spokesman for the Palestinian government in the West Bank, blamed "unprecedented lack" of foreign aid for the deficit, warning that the shortfall threatens the PNA's ability to carry out its services, especially in the education and health sectors.

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World Must Act Urgently to Avert “Crisis” in Palestine, Experts Warn
Press Release - March 27, 2012 - 12:00am

Washington, DC, March 27 -- The international community must act urgently support the Palestinian Authority and its institutions or face a looming “crisis” a panel of experts today warned at a Washington event today co-hosted by American Task Force for Palestine and The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.


World Must Act Urgently to Avert “Crisis” in Palestine, Experts Warn
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from American Task Force on Palestine
March 27, 2012 - 12:00am

Washington, DC, March 27 -- The international community must act urgently support the Palestinian Authority and its institutions or face a looming “crisis” a panel of experts today warned at a Washington event today co-hosted by American Task Force for Palestine and The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

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Ignoring Israel's complete domination
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Amira Hass - (Opinion) March 26, 2012 - 12:00am

Israel's position in its periodic report to the donor-coordination group for the Palestinian Authority reminds one of the boy who kills his parents and then demands an orphan's pension. Israel describes the failings of the Palestinian economy as if the colonialist occupation is not their primary cause.

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The Palestinian financial crisis
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from World Jewish Congress
by Pinhas Inbari - (Analysis) March 26, 2012 - 12:00am

The community of donors to the Palestinian Authority met in Brussels over the weekend. Both the government in Ramallah, sponsored by the donors, and the Hamas government in Gaza are in dire financial straits and progressively more dependent on foreign aid and susceptible to political pressure. In Ramallah, Prime Minister Salam Fayyad is unable to put together a budget that would pay for Palestinian salaries. In Gaza, Hamas’ government has sunk into even deeper trouble. It is unable to provide for the steady flow of electricity, gasoline, or home cooking gas.

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Palestinian Authority faces economic woes, public anger as statehood efforts lag
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post
by Karin Brulliard - March 26, 2012 - 12:00am

RAMALLAH, West Bank — Even as attempts to end the Israeli occupation have idled in recent years, Palestinians and their international backers have hailed the West Bank’s expanding economy as one critical step on the path to statehood. Now the Palestinian Authority is mired in financial crisis, and there is a growing sentiment here that economic development efforts intended to lay the groundwork for independence have backfired.

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Hamas Optimistic On Fiscal Condition in Gaza
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
March 23, 2012 - 12:00am

GAZA, March 22 (Xinhua) -- A senior Hamas official told Xinhua on Thursday that the 2012 budget for the Palestinian territory of Gaza is 769 million U.S. dollars and expressed his optimism over the enclave's fiscal condition. Hamas Economic Minister Alla al-Deen al-Rafati told Xinhua in an interview that the budget would soon be submitted to the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC), where it will likely get passed.

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EU pledges 35 million euros for Palestinian infrastructure project
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Deutsche Presse Agentur (DPA)
by DPA - March 19, 2012 - 12:00am

The European Union on Monday pledged 35 million euros (46.3 million dollars) for two Palestinian infrastructure projects. "We have signed two important agreements for a total amount of 35 million euros... one for a water treatment plant in northern West Bank ... another is for the crossings in Gaza," the Prime Minister of the Palestinian Authority (PA), Salam Fayyad said. The money comes from the 300 million euros in Palestinian aid that the EU has earmarked for 2012 - the same figure that had been committed in 2011 - EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton told reporters.

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Don't Shut the Switch
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Gershon Baskin - (Opinion) March 19, 2012 - 12:00am

One of the items not transferred to the Palestinian Authority with its creation in 1994 was electricity generation. With the exception of the Jericho area, the PA is not permitted to generate any of its own electricity. In fact, even the PA’s creation of distribution companies in the West Bank is not in accord with the agreement. In terms of electricity for the Palestinians, the Israeli Civil Administration is fully in charge.

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Israel: Palestinian economy not stable enough for independent state
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Barak Ravid - March 18, 2012 - 12:00am

Israel is expected to present a report Wednesday at a donor meeting on Palestinian aid in Brussels claiming that the Palestinian Authority is not sufficiently stable to meet the standards of a well-functioning state.

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