Palestinian Authority in dire straits as Israel’s hold on West Bank deepens

(Yolande Knell – BBC) With Israeli settler violence surging in the occupied West Bank, al-Mughayyir, north-east of Ramallah, has found itself on the frontline. It faces regular incursions by the Israeli army and has seen farmland seized by settlers who have built new outposts. Marzoq Abu Naim from the village council says the settlers aim to force out Palestinians. “They’re doing it silently, not openly, it’s true. But this is annexation. We can’t reach our lands.”. Sitting among green rolling hills, studded with olive groves, most homes in al-Mughayir are in an area where Israel’s military controls security, but the internationally backed Palestinian Authority (PA) should provide basic services. Increasingly though, it cannot – it is mired in a deep economic crisis. “When I go to them, they can’t give me the support I need,” Abu Naim says. “The Authority has no money!”. After the deadly 7 October Hamas-led attacks on Israel, some 100,000 Palestinians lost permits to work in Israel. On top of that, Israel is withholding tax transfers that it collects for the PA because of an ongoing dispute about Palestinian school texts and stipends to the families of those jailed or killed by Israel, including attackers. The PA says it is now owed more than $4bn (£3bn; 3.4bn euros). It has been paying most public sector workers – including doctors, police officers and teachers – just 60% of their salaries. Its schools – where more than 600,000 children study – open just three days a week. “It’s truly hard,” a mother-of-eight in al-Mughayyir tells me, explaining that the schools there also close when settlers or soldiers are nearby because of fears for the children. “There is so much disruption that some children have reached fourth grade and still can’t read. We put them in private lessons with a teacher in the village. She starts with the alphabet so that they can learn to read from scratch.” – Palestinian Authority in dire straits as Israel’s hold on West Bank deepens