RAMALLAH (Reuters) – The Palestinian Authority will not accept a partial transfer of tax funds from Israel that withholds sums earmarked for administration expenses in Gaza, Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh said on Monday.
He said he hoped international pressure would bring a speedy transfer of the funds, which are collected by Israel in areas of the occupied West Bank, and paid to the Palestinian Authority under a longstanding arrangement between the two sides.
Part of the funds go to pay for expenses in Gaza, including the salaries of health workers, that are still covered by the Palestinian Authority even though the Islamist movement Hamas controls the blockaded enclave.
(Reporting by Ali Sawafta; writing by James Mackenzie; Editing by Hugh Lawson)
