Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will discuss financial aid for the Palestinian Authority when he meets
The Palestinian government is facing economic troubles after major international donors suspended most aid when Hamas took office after winning a majority in January parliamentary elections.
The aid payment issue has already been discussed during the preparations to the upcoming Abbas-Putin meeting on May 15, Baker Abdel Munem, the Palestinian envoy in
"I think Mr. Putin will himself raise the question of financial help and not Mr. Abbas," said the envoy. "There have been talks about [aid]." He did not provide additional details.
The Quartet, on the other hand, agreed this week to set up a mechanism to funnel money to the Palestinians to stave off a humanitarian crisis.
Meanwhile, several thousand Hamas supporters gathered Friday to collect money and jewelry for the Palestinian government that is facing one of the most serious financial crises ever, criticizing the Western economic pressure on the Palestinian government.
Some 5,000 joined the demonstration during which they announced over megaphones how much participants were donating. Some said they were donating their entire paychecks.
The cut of aid has left the government unable to pay the salaries to some 165 thousand of civil servants and contributed to growing economic hardship in the West Bank and
