RAMALLAH, Monday, April 29, 2019 (WAFA) – Hussein al-Sheikh, head of the Civil Affairs Authority, said today that the Palestinian Authority (PA) will not accept the clearance money if incomplete.

Israel has been deducting millions of dollars every month from the Palestinian tax revenues it collects on its behalf on goods destined to the occupied Palestinian territories, claiming the money deducted was equivalent to the amount the PA pays families of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails for resisting the occupation and those killed by Israeli forces.

Sheikh met two days ago with Israeli Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon to discuss the latest regarding the PA’s financial crisis as a result of the deductions made by the Israeli government in  clearance funds for the third month in a row.

He stressed to Kahlon that the Israeli government bears the consequences of this crisis.

Observers have warned of collapse of the PA institutions if Israel continues with this policy since the clearance revenues that amount to around $200 million every month make more than 70% of the PA’s budget.

The PA has been paying its over 200,000 public employees half salary since the start of the crisis in February.

M.K.