Schools closed in West Bank after teachers strike

By Qais Abu Samra

RAMALLAH, Palestine (AA) – Schools in the West Bank closed their doors on Tuesday as teachers staged a strike in protest of being unpaid for months.

According to a tour by Anadolu Agency, most schools in Ramallah city responded to Thursday's strike call by the Palestinian Teachers' Union and closed their doors.

The teachers' strike will continue until Nov. 12 due to the irregular payment of salaries.

On Monday, the Palestinian government said the payment of employees will be cut by half next Sunday, with the possibility of raising the minimum percentage according to the monetary conditions. This condition has been underway for four months to more than 130,000 employees of the Palestinian government.

In June, the Palestinian Authority (PA) refused to receive the tax revenues from Israel, as Tel Aviv conditioned the transfer of the tax revenues to coordination between the two sides.

President Mahmoud Abbas had suspended coordination with Israel, after the latter announced its plans to annex portions of the occupied West Bank, including the Jordan Valley.

The tax revenues -- known in Palestine and Israel as maqasa -- are collected by the Israeli government on behalf of the PA on Palestinian imports and exports.

The tax revenues are estimated at $200 million each month, as Israel deducts around $40 million for services on Palestinian exports and imports and the electricity bill. These taxes represent 63% of the PA's public revenues.

*Writing by Mahmoud Barakat