Middle East Monitor / January 15, 2021
Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas has signed an order to pay the full salaries to more than 900 political prisoners and former prisoners, Head of the Prisoners and Ex-prisoners Affairs Authority Qadri Abu Bakr announced yesterday.
On the PA’s recent proposal to establish a private bank for the families of prisoners and martyrs, Abu Bakr confirmed that the move was: “Unlikely to happen due to Israeli threats and restrictions with obtaining the bank licence. The PA is tirelessly looking for alternative options.”
“As a result of the current economic and political situation, the Palestinian government was able to pay only 50 per cent of the prisoners’ wages,” the official noted.
