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Such a decision would lead to the closure of PA offices, reportedly raising concerns of resulting instability in Judea and Samaria.
By Ben Rappaport, United with Israel
The Palestinian Authority (PA) has recently held meetings about the possibility of declaring bankruptcy due to its precarious financial situation, Kan Reshet Bet reported Wednesday.
According to the report, such a situation would lead to the closure of Palestinian Authority offices, raising concerns about “a loss in stability” in Judea and Samaria.
The report also said that the PA’s dire financial situation is expressed in the fact that a large number of officials from the Palestinian security apparatus have recently been leaving their positions to look for work in the private sector.
In recent months, Palestinian security personnel have been receiving only 80 percent of their salaries and going into debt, such that the banks close their accounts, according to the report.
At a recent Knesset committee meeting, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly said that Israel “needs” the Palestinian Authority.
“We cannot allow it to collapse. We also don’t want it to collapse. We are ready to help it financially.”
“We have an interest in the PA continuing to function. In the areas in which it succeeds in functioning, it does the work for us and we have not interest in it collapsing,” Netanyahu added.
The Palestinian Authority’s financial woes may stem in part from around $11 million in monthly deductions from Palestinian taxes made by Israel, due to the Palestinian Authority’s avowed policy of compensating terrorists and their families for committing attacks against Israelis. Terrorists receive compensation that is significantly more than the average salary in the PA.
PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas has emphasized that the PA’s “pay for slay” policy is a top priority, saying that “if we had only a single penny left, we would pay it to families of the martyrs and prisoners.”
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