RAMALLAH, June 13 (Xinhua) -- A senior Palestinian official announced on Saturday that the Palestinian Authority (PA) had asked the Arab states to ensure a 100-million-U.S. dollar monthly loan to help Palestine overcome its financial crisis.
Saeb Erekat, Secretary of Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) Executive Committee, told the Voice of Palestine radio that the PA request to get a loan which was under previous Arab League decisions to ensure a secure Arab financial network.
"It's necessary to provide an urgent Arab financial aid to back the Palestinian Authority treasury to overcome the current difficult situation amid the current challenges," said Erekat.
Earlier this month, the PA decided not to receive money that comes from the tax revenue dues that Israel collects on behalf of the PA from Palestinian trade at crossing points under Israel's control.
The PA decision was part of the Palestinian leadership's decision to eliminate all bilateral agreements and understandings reached with Israel in response to the latter's plan of annexing Palestinian lands in the West Bank.
Due to the financial crisis the PA has been passing through, the Palestinian government was unable to pay this month's salaries to its civil and security servants in the West Bank and Gaza.
PA officials announced earlier that the deficit in the PA's budget has reached 1.4 billion U.S. dollars.
Meanwhile, Erekat announced that the United Nations Security Council will convene on June 24 to discuss the developments in the Palestinian territories.
"President Mahmoud Abbas asked the representative of Palestine in the UN to coordinate with the Arab group to promote the level of the council's meeting from a meeting of representatives to a meeting of foreign ministers," said Erekat. Enditem
