Qatar lends PA $100m to pay salaries

The Palestinian Authority announced yesterday that it had received a $100 million loan from Qatar to help pay the salaries of civil servants in the light of continuing Israeli freeze of PA tax revenues.In a statement, the government said that the money would be also be used to alleviate the ongoing economic crisis in the Palestinian territories.

The statement also said that this Qatari loan came as part of the efforts of PA President Mahmoud Abbas, who is visiting the Gulf state seeking to get Arabic and international support for the Palestinians.

Israel collects taxes on behalf of the PA but suspended payments of some $130 million collected in January to protest against moves by the Palestinians to join the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Palestinian membership of the ICC started on 1 April, opening the way for possible law suits against Israel for war crimes.