Palestinian president calls on Arab countries for financial support

THE Palestinian government has not received the financial support it had expected from international and regional partners, President Mahmoud Abbas said at an Arab League summit on Thursday (May 16).

“It has now become critical to activate the Arab safety net, to boost the resilience of our people and to enable the government to carry out its duties,” Abbas said.

Funding of the Palestinian Authority, the body which exercises limited governance of the occupied West Bank, has been severely restricted by a dispute over transferring tax revenue Israel collects on behalf of the Palestinians.

Funding from international donors has also been squeezed, falling from 30 per cent of the US$6 billion annual budget to around 1 per cent, Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh has said. REUTERS