Ramallah (Palestine) - QPI

The Palestinian Ministry of Finance in Ramallah has stopped paying salaries to more than 200 prisoners freed from Israeli jails.

A spokesman for the Palestinian Commission of Prisoners and ex-Prisoners’ Affairs, Hassan Abed Rabbo, said in an interview with Quds Press that the ministry had halted the salaries of 277 Palestinian prisoners without giving a reason.

He pointed out that the commission had received a number of complaints regards the matter.

In the Gaza Strip, a group of freed prisoners held a press conference yesterday, in which they stressed that their salaries are “a right that must not be violated” demanding the Palestinian Authority to backtrack on its decision.

"The Palestinian Authority’s decision to cut the salaries of the freed prisoners is an unfair decision and a blatant assault on the prisoners and their families’ right to a dignified life and comes in response to Israeli and American demands," former prisoner, Abdel Rahman Shadeed, said on behalf of the freed prisoners.

Shadeed added that the prisoners will defend their rights by all means available.

In April, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called for the Palestinian Authority (PA) to stop paying salaries to the families of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails.

Source: Quds Press International News Agency
Translated by: Middle East Monitor
In collaboration with the Palestinian Media Forum