RAMALLAH, April 4, 2017 (WAFA) – Financial constraints faced by the Palestinian government has forced it to scale down March salaries of its public employees, government spokesman Yousef al-Mahmoud said on Tuesday.

Public employees were surprised when they saw their salary slips that they were lower than what they usually get.

Following inquiry, the government explained that it was forced to cut raises and work related allowances from the March paycheck due to the financial difficulty it was facing, explaining that this measure is only temporary.

“Pressure on the Palestinian leadership, including financial pressure due to drop in donor aid to more than 70 per cent of its annual average, has forced the government to take such a step in order to be able to pay the salaries,” said al-Mahmoud.

He explained that this step was necessary to deal with the present financial difficulty, citing the division between the West Bank and Gaza Strip and failure of the Hamas authorities to put money it collects in Gaza into the general account, as well as the Israeli blockade and occupation as some of the reasons causing the current financial crisis.

M.K.