Berlin: Germany has announced plans to provide an additional €30 million in financial assistance to the occupied West Bank, aiming to offset withheld tax revenues that Israeli authorities have stopped transferring to the Palestinian Authority.
According to the German News Agency, the funds will be channeled through a European Union mechanism and allocated to support salaries in the health and education sectors.
A spokesperson for the German Ministry of Development stated that the Palestinian Authority is facing a severe financial emergency, and confirmed that the planned aid could be drawn from Germany’s national budget.
Under the Oslo Accords signed in the 1990s, Israeli authorities collect customs and tax revenues on behalf of the Palestinian Authority. However, transfers have been suspended since May, with Palestinian officials warning that the freeze is crippling their ability to pay wages and maintain essential services.
