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.
"30 percent of the budget comes from taxes, tolls and local fees collected from the Gazan population, while the rest 70 percent comes from foreign donations," said al-Rafati.
Hamas, an Islamic movement, has been ruling Gaza since it took control of it in June 2007 after routing forces loyal to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah party.
"Our government receives donations from individuals, not countries," said al-Rafati, revealing that Iran stopped aiding Gaza two years ago due to internal differences.
However, he added, Iran has kept its support for "the Palestinian people through housing projects for prisoners released last October in the latest prisoner swap deal with Israel."
Al-Rafati went on to say that the fiscal situation of Gaza "is completely stable," stressing that "there are no debts or arrears to banks or any foreign parties."
However, Hamas' optimism over Gaza's fiscal condition is rebuked by some Fatah officials, who point out that the Palestinian National Authority, which Fatah leads, has been paying the salaries of some 76,000 Palestinians employed in Gaza, in addition to education and health services for the Gazan population.
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