Israel has confirmed that it is to issue 5,000 work permits for Palestinians living in the Occupied West Bank.
The decision follows weeks of protests, aimed at Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, after sharp increases in the cost of living that many Palestinians blamed on the Oslo Accord and the Paris Protocol. The decision by Israel comes after mounting concern over the continued viability of the Palestinian economy. A recent World Bank report on the economy of Palestine showed that there is a “deepening fiscal crisis” in the territory.
After the protests, Fayyad reduced VAT, lowered the cost of fuel and promised that civil servants would be paid after months of receiving no remuneration.
The announcement coincided with the latest figures published by Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) and Palestine Monetary Authority (PMA) highlighting a further increase in the Balance of Payments deficit.
