Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh called today for serious international pressure on Israel to stop the deductions from the tax funds it collects on behalf of the Palestinian Authority, and to release already withheld tax funds and pay them back to the PA.
Shtayyeh’s call was made during his meeting with the UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Palestine Lynn Hastings, in his office in Ramallah, where the two discussed the latest political and economic developments.
The Prime Minister stressed to the UN official the importance for the UN aid to go hand in hand with the development and sectoral plans of the Palestinian government, contributing to sustainable development and the efforts to disengage from the Israeli occupation.
Shtayyeh also briefed Hastings on the difficult financial situation facing the government, and called on the United Nations to intervene to stop Israel’s decision to shut down and outlaw a number of Palestinian civil society organizations, especially since a number of them are human rights organizations.
He stressed the government’s support for these institutions and their humanitarian work.
Source: Palestinian News & Information Agency