Palestinians Up in Arms After West Bank Officials Given Huge Salary Hikes

Many Palestinians are incensed after news leaked that senior officials in Ramallah in 2017 lavished themselves with gifts and benefits along with pay hikes of nearly 70 percent. The revelation comes as the Palestinian Authority is dealing with a major budgetary crisis, due in part by President Donald Trump’s decision to cut hundreds of millions of dollars in aid earmarked for projects in the West Bank. The PA is also refusing to accept some $100 million in monthly taxes and tariffs collected on its behalf by Israel, due to Jerusalem’s recent decision to withhold about 10% of these funds, the equivalent sum paid by Ramallah to Palestinian prisoners and to the families of those killed while perpetrating terrorist attacks against Israelis. In response, the PA has slashed by half the salaries of many civil servants and has reduced public services. According to reports, the raises were approved by PA President Mahmoud Abbas and kept secret from the public because they violated a law that placed an upper threshold on ministers’ salaries.