On December 24, PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas renewed his commitment to constitutional, political, and economic reforms, against the backdrop of European and American demands for financial reforms and updates to the Palestinian education curriculum.
Abbas, 90, published a statement through the official Palestinian news agency WAFA, declaring:
“In accordance with our national and international commitments, we continue to implement a comprehensive national reform program aimed at developing and modernizing the judicial and institutional system of the State of Palestine, consolidating the rule of law, strengthening the principles of good governance, transparency, and accountability, and ensuring the separation of powers in a manner that serves the public interest and enhances citizens’ trust in their state institutions.”
Abbas added that his reform program “also includes the development of the education sector, including the review and updating of school curricula in accordance with international standards, while remaining consistent with our Palestinian national identity and reinforcing the values of tolerance, respect for the law, and the rejection of violence and incitement, without compromising our established national rights or our historical narrative.”
Abbas also defended the Palestinian National Institution for Economic Empowerment (“Tamkeen”), which has been tasked with managing payments to Palestinian terrorists imprisoned in Israeli jails or released from them, as well as to the families of Palestinians killed or wounded.
Senior figures within the Fatah movement, including former head of the General Intelligence Service Tawfiq al-Tirawi, have recently called for the abolition of this institution and the establishment of a new mechanism that would “preserve people’s dignity” in receiving financial assistance from the Palestinian Authority.
“Tamkeen” is headed by Ahmad Majdalani, Secretary-General of the Palestinian Popular Struggle Front and a member of the PLO Executive Committee.
In recent months, under international and Israeli pressure, the PA has suspended salary payments to hundreds of terrorists and to families of the dead and wounded , and has moved to establish a new mechanism under which payments are determined based on the economic condition of the families.
To receive assistance, families are now required to complete a 16-page questionnaire containing extensive information about their economic and social circumstances prior to receiving aid.
In recent days, a wave of protests has erupted in the Palestinian street, particularly in the city of Nablus, where several major roads were blocked in protest over transferring responsibility for payments to terrorists imprisoned in Israel or released from prison to the “Tamkeen” institution.
The Chairman of the PA issued a presidential decree establishing “Tamkeen” after repealing all previous relevant laws, including the mechanism under which salaries to Palestinian terrorists had been determined according to the number of years they spent in Israeli prisons.
Raed Abu al-Humus, head of the Authority for Prisoners’ and Released Prisoners’ Affairs, has called for removing “Tamkeen” from responsibility for Palestinian prisoners’ issues.
In the past, the families of Palestinian terrorists imprisoned in Israeli jails, as well as the families of Palestinian dead and wounded, received stipends through the Palestinian Ministry of Finance via post office branches.
Senior political sources in Jerusalem say that the PA chairman continues to attempt to mislead Israel, the United States, and the international community in order to persuade them to grant him a role in governing the Gaza Strip. According to these sources, incitement in the Palestinian education system continues in practice, as do salary payments to terrorists and their families, making this yet another failed spin by the PA chairman.
