RAMALLAH, November 14, 2026 (WAFA) – Minister of Finance and Planning Estephan Salameh stressed the importance of expediting the completion of the technical and procedural requirements for implementing the new World Bank grant to the Palestinian government, half of which is allocated to the public budget and the other half to projects, particularly in the Gaza Strip. He said this would help strengthen the government's ability to meet its obligations and continue implementing its reform programs.

Salameh made these remarks during a meeting on Saturday with a World Bank delegation headed by Ousmane Dione, Vice President for the Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan, and Pakistan.

He briefed the delegation on the main aspects of the governance and reform process aimed at controlling public finances, which have helped mobilize resources that enabled the partial payment of public employees' salaries and suppliers' dues. He also highlighted the impact of these efforts on sustaining essential services, particularly education, healthcare, and community security, despite Israel’s withholding of Palestinian tax revenues for nearly 20 months.

Minister Salameh underscored the severe difficulty facing the Palestinian government in sustaining basic public services under the current circumstances, noting that it has exhausted all available avenues to mobilize financial resources and fulfill its obligations, as 65% of public revenues remain withheld for more than a year and a half. Accordingly, he called for urgent international pressure to ensure the immediate resumption of clearance revenue transfers to the public treasury.

For his part, Dione reaffirmed the World Bank's commitment to supporting the Palestinian government during this critical phase, stressing the importance of completing the reform programs it has embarked on implementing.

T.R.