Palestinian Minister of Planning, Samir Abu Aisha, stated on Tuesday
that Palestinian civil servants, earning NIS 1800 a month or less , are
to receive one month's salary in the few coming days.
In a article published by the Maan News Agency Abu Aisha said that the employees earning more than NIS 1800 a month are to receive 80% of one month's salary.
In a phone call with IMEMC, Dr. Yousif Rizqa, the Palestinian minister of Information, said that there are efforts to pay the civil servants a month salary as an urgent payment to ease the suffering of the Palestinians especially since the Holy Muslim Month of Ramadan has begun while the employees were not paid in months.
Today marks the fourth day of Ramadan, preparations for Eid (feast) will begin in less than a month, but many families will be unable to give their children clothes, shoes, candy, almonds and other issues that are considered traditional gifts for the holidays.
The difficulty for most workers lies not in sacrificing these treats, but in finding a way to help their children celebrate
Yet, at the end of Ramadan, the Muslims start the Al Firtir feast, but this year the 160.000 government employees, if not paid yet, will not only have no money to buy clothes and gifts for their children.
The employees continue to suffer the huge financial burdens due to the international and Israeli sanctions against the Palestinians for holding democratic elections that brought the Hamas party to power.
Ahmad Bahar Abu Allan, an employee working with the Palestinian Preventive Security Forces in Al Thahiriya town near Hebron since ten years, said that he was not paid since early this year.
He has been working with the security forces since ten years, he bought a plot of land, built a house, got married, and has a son and daughter.
Bahar told the Palestine News Network that he is struggling to take care of his family, his children who need food and clothes, children who need to celebrate the feast.
Yet, he began to sell his belongings since he is not paid, he even sold his books to gather enough money that would barely be enough for the expenses of the coming week.
Also, resident Mohammad Najjar, from Al Thahiriya, said that he own a repair shop for cars, but as a result of the current financial situation, one of his clients paid his bill with eggs, since he was unable to find money to pay for the repair of his car.
