SAUDI ARABIA PLEDGES $100 MILLION AID TO PALESTINE

Bethlehem, 5 Rabiul Awwal 1434/ 17 January 2013 (MINA) – Saudi Arabia has pledged $100 million to the Palestinian Authority to ease the government’s financial crisis, the PA finance minister said Wednesday.

Nabil Qassis told Ma’an that government employees would be paid as soon as the funds were received, but he said no date had been set for the transfer.

Qassis added that the PA had not yet received $26 million promised by Algeria, according to Palestinian news agency, Ma’an report received by Mi’raj News Agency (MINA), Thursday.

Israel stopped transferring Palestinian Authority tax revenue it collects on behalf of the West Bank government as punishment for the UN’s acceptance of Palestine as a non-member state in November.

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The PA, which was already struggling financially, was unable to pay public sector workers full November salaries and has yet to set a date for payment of December wages.

Saudi Arabia transferred $100 million to the PA in August 2012.(T/R-007/R-006).

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)