Saudi Arabia pays $40m to PA’s budget

Saudi Arabia has transferred $40 million through the Saudi Development Fund to the Palestinian Authority (PA), Saudi news agency WAS reported yesterday.

WAS said that this is the Saudi contribution to the PA’s budget for February and March.

Saudi ambassador to Egypt and representative of the Arab League Ahmad Bin Naqli said that this grant comes in the framework of the “continuous” Saudi support for the Palestinian issue “at all political, economic and humanitarian levels.”

READ: Abbas’ commitment to the status quo and international legitimacy has failed Palestinians 

The PA depends on donors to cover its annual expenses, including the salaries of its employees.

Saudi Arabia used to pay $20 million as a monthly payment to the PA, but this grant was reduced to $7.7 million after oil prices dropped a few years ago.

Saudi’s support for the PA is part of the pledge made by the Arab League in 2012, which saw the formation of a Safety Network that should have paid $100 million to the month each month, but most Arab countries did not commit to this decision.