Abbas orders partial payment of salaries to PA civil service employees
Protesting PA policemen join month-long strike by other Palestinian gov't workers over unpaid wages.
By Avi Issacharoff and The Associated PressPalestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas ordered the payment of NIS 1,500 to PA civil service employees to cover a portion of their unpaid salaries, Rafik el-Husseini, Abbas' bureau chief, said Thursday.
The partial payment was ordered after Qatar and Saudi Arabia each donated funds to the PA.
Long lines formed Thursday outside banks in Gaza City as PA employees waited to receive their salaries.
Earlier in the day, hundreds of Palestinian Authority police and security officers on Thursday blocked all main roads in Gaza City with garbage containers and burning tires in a protest against unpaid wages.
Policemen, firing rifles into the air, turned some garbage bins upside down, causing rubbish to spill out and also used broken concrete to halt traffic on Gaza City's main streets, in a further sign of growing unrest over delayed salaries.
Most police were from security services loyal to Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, who has been locked in an increasingly bitter confrontation with the Hamas-led government of Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh over stalled efforts to form a unity government.
Palestinians hope a unity government will lead to the lifting of Western sanctions imposed when Hamas took office in March. The embargo has prevented the Palestinian Authority from paying full salaries since then.
"Our protest is not politically motivated, it is motivated by the hunger and needs of our children," said one policeman, his face smeared with black from the smoke of burning tires.
"Haniyeh or Abbas, we do not care about their problems. We care about our welfare," crowds chanted.
The West cut direct aid to the PA over Hamas's refusal to recognize Israel, renounce violence, and accept interim peace accords with Israel.
Senior Hamas lawmaker Mushir al-Masri accused some "political parties" of sponsoring the rallies.
He blamed officials at Abbas's office for not making good on the president's promise to help make a full salary payment for September to 165,000 government workers. Haniyeh made a similar pledge.
"There are administrative measures that were supposed to be made by the president's office. They have not been finalized yet," Masri told Reuters.
Tawfiq Abu Khoussa, spokesman for Fatah in Gaza and the West Bank, said Hamas was trying to escape its responsibility for ending the financial crisis.
"The reality on the ground says people need food for their children. They do not care who pays the salaries, the government or the president," Abu Khoussa said.
The protests closed almost all main roads in Gaza City.
The police action comes amid a month-long strike by many other government workers such as teachers over unpaid wages.
Some analysts have speculated that such pressure might have forced Hamas to meet Abbas's demand that the planned unity government recognize interim peace deals with Israel as a way to satisfy the West and bring the removal of sanctions.
Hamas, which trounced Fatah in January parliamentary elections, has insisted it would never recognize Israel. Both Hamas and Fatah have traded accusations over who is to blame for the breakdown in unity talks.
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big mufti of jerusalem the arafat oncle who met with hitler many times...
Since that EU,NU,US give money to palestinians,things don't change and same questions come again.Where is the money?We know a part of the answer.European people start to be tired to pay taxes for palestinians(fatah and hamas on the same bag)without know the use. One part for schools, healthcare,food,factories,fishing activities,etc and the other part in Switzerland, Luxemburg,Monaco banks or Caiman islands and all fiscal paradises...
Abbas and his PA might represent the Palestinians in the West Bank & Gaza. However, there are other Palestinians in Jordan (~.75 Million), in Lebanon (~.5 Million), in Syria (~.5 Million), in Israel (~1 Million) and in the diaspora (~.75 Million). That's over 3 Million that Abbas DOES NOT represent and they never elected him to speak in their name or sign anything on their behalf! Final peace will not be achieved if Abbas does not take into account the wishes & aspirations of ALL Palestinians. Everyone needs to understand that agreements with leaders are not worth the paper they're written on unless the people buy in on those agreements.
Palestinian people should ask Mr. Mahmoud Abbas: -How come that Mrs. Arafat is so rich? -How come that she owes nothing to her people ? -How come that Mr. Mahmoud Abbas is rich? -How come that he owes nothing to his people? -And finally, how come that Mr. Abbas is not suing Mrs. Arafat after he met her on Arafat`s legacy.
Lets keep holding the payments, it might creat revolt against the elected government and it might even lead to civil war. BRAVO MR. ABBAS. Are you sure you got nothing to do with Arafat death?
Remember Mrs. Arafat`s reconciliation with Abbas ? $$$$$$$$$$ : 2 = $$$$$ + $$$$$.
I too am getting tired of this BS. What is this nonsense slogan askinng for "recognizing the right to exist" Its a worthless slogan or piece of paper. It can be repudiated any time. history is full of b roken treaties. I say lets start killing in greater numbers--Vast amounts of killing is the only road map to peace. When was peace attained by other means?
Ask Hamas to draw a map showing Israel and Palestine. They will show you a Palestinian map covering the whole area between Jordan and the Mediterranean sea. If Israel does not exist how can you call it coexistance ?
How is it that i write some very helpful truthful moderate posts that never get on, yet #4's post can get on. Does Haaretz agree that all israeli arabs are animals?
will change your tune when judgement day comes. Maybe if you weren't killing an average of 3 Palestinians a day for the last 2 months they would be a little more willing to "recognize" your "state". After 60 years of bullshit the rest of the world AND your God are getting tired of you.
The Jewish president of Palestine would rather watch his own people starve in order to coerce Hamas to agree to Israel's terms. Abbastein is sitting on billions of dollars that he could hand out any time he felt like, but he has become another poodle in the long line of traitors and lap-dogs.
"You have people responding to your outrageous posts,including myself,but I don`t know why." You should understand by know that Clickfool is an intrinsic part of this forum. He is a clown making averybody energized. The forum would be borring without him.
Still stirring things up,I see. "Hamas has indicated from day one its willingness to agree peaceful coexistance with Israel" What??? Hamas has said from "day 1" it's willingness to destroy Israel. You have people responding to your outrageous posts,including myself,but I don't know why. Ithink I'll just slap myself in the face and ignore you from now on!
Stunned, leave Clickfool alone. (Dark back ally) You can't resolve everything with violence. Hamas doesn't have a problem with recognizing Israel, It just doesn't recognize the occupation. Fool.
he keeps the money and then crys that PALs need more money. cry me a river. btw what happened to the billions that arafat had?? who got it??
Michael! You were right! Someone mentioned his name (clickfool) and he appeared right after your response. How did you know that would happen?
Israel has its spies and its agents provocateurs in Gaza. If they were left to themselves the Palestinians would starve quietly and not expect their government to do anything as bourgeouis as to pay them in actual money. Israel is the cause of all ills in the Middle East.
"The freely elected Hamas government has been made into a pariah due to ..." Wrong! The PLO in the late 80's sought international support and recognition as the one voice for Palestinian asperations. Such was granted based on 2 promises .... recognize that Israel has the right to exist and renounce terrorism ... there were no previous agreements. With the PNA (eventually) taking on the old PLO mantle, it is proper to ask for reaffirmation of the same standards that earned the PLO its international acceptance. Hamas parses like an opposition party not a leadership party. Until they politically mature to international standards, they are more a distraction than a player.
Clickfool your head is on backwards. The Palestinian masses get no aid only because of Hamas unrecognition of Israel and past agreements as Hamas itself said it would never negotiate with Israel.It's misery is all due to itself. It's a pariah state all due to Hamas dictates. Clickfool, the English rainy weather must have clouded your head cause your thoughts are all wet!
He's arguing with himself and some another clown on the other boards.
Clickfool et al. are disappointed that the Palestinian policemen are demonstrating against their own government and not against Israel. They know who is responsible for their predicament - and it's not Israel or George Bush. If Clickfool et al. would only take off the blinders and renounce their rigid ideological stances or the double standard by which they judge Israel, they would realize that it is the Palestinians themselves that are to blame for their not having a state of their own.
Always entertaining to read your "arguments". It's just too bad we can't all meet you in the back of a dark building one day to show you our true appreciation for your thoughts and ideas. Again - yet another uneducated response to this article Clickfool. Please tell me how Hamas has offered to coexist peacefully with Israel... when they won't even recognise Israel as a state?
If these policemen did their jobs in the first place there would be no problem! 1) Stop rocket fire. 2) Release captive solider. 3) Stop weapons smuggling. 4) Stop across border attacks. If this had been(or will be) done you would have peace and tons of international support. You could even have a country of your own. Now to start put pressure on the Hamas government unless it renounces violence, recognizes Israel and accepts past peace deals, conditions Hamas has so far refused to accept. After that the money and food will flow. And you children will eat. It is up to you!!!!!
The Israeli lobby has coerced George Bush into preventing nearly all foreign aid from reaching the oppressed Palestinian masses. The freely elected Hamas government has been made into a pariah due to Israeli dictates. Israel chooses to create misery instead of peace with the Hamas government. Hamas has indicated from day one, it's willingness to agree peaceful coexistance with Israel.
Where is Clickfool now to blame it on the Israelis?