In The Days

• Source: China View
• News Date: 1/27/07

RAMALLAH, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) — The Palestinian National Authority (PNA) has received 130 million U.S. dollars this month while economic sanctions still remains on the Hamas-led government, an aide to President Mahmoud Abbas said Saturday.

Distress of Nations

“And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity the sea and the waves roaring;”
—Luke 21:25

Perilous Times

“But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse,deceiving, and being deceived”
—2Timothy 3:13

Rafik al-Hussini, chief of Abbas’ office told a news conference in Ramallah that the PNA has received 130 million dollars in January, including the tax revenues of 100 million dollars transferred by Israel on Jan. 19 and 30 million dollars’ donation from the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

On Dec. 23, 2006, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert held along-awaited meeting with President Abbas in Jerusalem, during which the two leaders reached a series of agreements, including the transfer of 100 million dollars in frozen taxes collected on behalf of the PNA.

There is, in all, more than 600 million dollars in customs duties that Israel collected on behalf of the Palestinians, but the money was withheld when Hamas took office after winning a landslide election victory over Abbas’ Fatah in January 2006.

In addition to the 22.5 million dollars its treasury originally has, the PNA has now in its treasury a sum of 152.5 million dollars, Hussini added.

He also said that the PNA was promised to get 220 million dollars from Qatar and will be transferred into its treasury through the Arab League soon.

According to Hussini, the total amount of the money received by Abbas office “will be used to pay overdue salaries of government employees on Sunday.”

Meanwhile, Bassam Zakarna, head of government workers union, also said that a full salary would be paid to all employees on Sunday.

Zakarna added that the paying process was part of a new deal that was reached between the Hamas-led government and the union to end the employees’ general strike.

Since winning parliament elections a year ago, the Hamas-led government can only pay its 165,000 employees in dribs and drabs due to the international sanctions.