PA forces 18,000 military staff to retire

Palestinians gather outside the Palestinian Pension Agency after hearing that the Palestinian Authority (PA) is to force up to 18,000 Palestinian military staff into retirement [Mohammed Asad/Middle East Monitor]

The Palestinian Authority (PA) is to force up to 18,000 Palestinian military staff into retirement by the end of this year, a Fatah official revealed on Sunday.

The official, who spoke to Al-Resalah newspaper on the condition of anonymity, said that after finishing with military employees the PA will turn its attention to civil employees.

The Fatah official said that this “is aimed at reorganising security forces in the southern governorates [Gaza Strip]”.

In late October head of the Palestinian Authority announced that 7,000 security officers would be forced to retire early in order to reform and improve the performance of services.

On Saturday the Chief Editor of the Palestinian News Agency Maan Nasser Al-Lahham, who is close to the PA decision makers and the PA President Mahmoud Abbas, announced the forced retirement of 11,000 military staff.

Following Al-Lahham’s announcement several local Palestinian news outlets published lists of retired staff, which included thousands of names, including employees who are under 35-years-old from Gaza.

A 36-year-old employee of the National Security Apparatus from Gaza told MEMO that he was one of the people who was forced to retire.

“These measures aim to get rid of all the security and military employees in Gaza,” he told MEMO, on the condition that his name was not mentioned. He did not give any reason why the PA is doing this.

Palestinians gather at the Palestinian Pension Agency after hearing that the Palestinian Authority (PA) is to force up to 18,000 Palestinian military staff into retirement [Mohammed Asad/Middle East Monitor]

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