Palestine Rejects US Congress Condition for Aid

Rasa - The Palestinian Authority rejected the decision of the US Congress to cut $300mln of aid to the government if it continued paying salaries for Palestinian prisoners and freed prisoners, according to a report.

News ID: 436990

Date: 25 March 2018 - 23:07

RNA - According to Quds Press, a Spokesman of the PA Government Yousef al-Mahmoud said “The [PA] government condemns and rejects the US Congress condition to cut the salaries of prisoners and freed prisoners in return for the continuation American aid”, Middle East Monitor reported.

“It was better for the US Congress to call for an end to the [Israeli] occupation, work to stop the suffering of the Palestinian Arab people, and put conditions on the flow of the American aid to Israel,” al-Mahmoud added.

According to Fars News Agancy, he pointed out that the Israeli occupation and illegal settlement activities are “the main causes of Palestinian suffering and bloodshed.”

Al-Mahmoud stressed that the issue of the Palestinian prisoners and freed prisoners is a “symbol for the Palestinians and their resistance is guaranteed by all laws and conventions.”

Early on Friday, Congress passed a law to terminate US aid to the PA unless it stopped paying the salaries of Palestinians who are serving or spent years inside Israeli prisons.

Similarly, last month an Israeli ministerial council approved a bill authorising the deduction of the salaries of Palestinian prisoners and freed prisoners from the tax revenues collected by the Israeli customs on behalf of the PA treasury.

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