Funding for Jerusalem is being cut, Palestinians are being forced out, experts warn

In light of the ongoing wave of global price hikes, the Israeli occupation government and Palestinian Authority (PA) are continuing to drain Jerusalem’s financial resources, Al-Resalah newspaper reported yesterday.

Quoting experts in Jerusalem affairs, the paper said funds had been drained and this is resulting in a sharp decline in support for Jerusalemites and is undermining their persistence in the holy city.

The head of Al-Quds Centre for Social and Cultural Studies, Ziyad Hamouri, said: “The Israeli occupation adopts a systematic reduction of the financial support for Jerusalemites.” It also “prevents any official support for Jerusalemites, and closes charities which offer aid to them. It has frozen many bank accounts and confiscated cash,” he explained.

He stressed that Jerusalemites are involved in a “battle of existence and survival” with the Israeli occupation.

Meanwhile, the Islamic-Christian Committee in Support of Jerusalem and its Sanctuaries has warned in a statement of the consequences of stopping Arab financial support for Jerusalem and its residents.

“Scores of government and non-government committees and funds, which were formed in Arab countries to support Jerusalem, were locked down and their accounts were frozen due to undisclosed reasons,” the Committee said.

It stressed that the cut in financial support for the holy city has negatively affected health services, as well as vocational and technical education, noting that a number of colleges did not receive their financial allocations last month.

Dr Nael Musa, an expert in economic affairs, said that the Israeli occupation imposes high taxes to push Jerusalemites out of the city.

He also said that the Palestinian Authority has spent less than one per cent of its budget on the city.

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