There is something more dangerous than the salary crisis!

Author: محمد الرجوب

Did Smotrich decide to ignite the situation in the West Bank ahead of the recognition of statehood due in the second half of next month? Now, the complete withholding of clearance funds, the Palestinian government's inability to pay its employees' salaries, and meet its obligations to contractors is no longer a "financial crisis" for the purpose of political blackmail as usual; today it is a slow but rolling silent starvation process. In short: the Israeli right-wing government is declaring a comprehensive economic war on the West Bank alongside its other wars.

The government's attempts to secure the usual salary payment are met with a lack of options and possibilities with the continued total withholding of clearance funds, the absence of Arab and international support, and the deterioration of local tax collection. Today's data means that a third of the salary will be paid soon, more or less, unless new developments occur. This percentage will be shocking for employees and the market as the new school year approaches. However, this is not the only crisis that Israel aims to exacerbate the existential threat to the Palestinian people.

With the restrictions imposed on shipping the shekel currency to Israel, Palestinian banks' balances with Israeli correspondent banks are nearing zero. This is another path to undermine the resilience in the West Bank by creating serious obstacles to the flow of goods and services that can only be purchased through digital bank transfers, and digital transfers require continuous funding of balances from the accumulated currency in the vaults of Palestinian banks, especially with the complete withholding of clearance funds. It is worth noting that these funds (one billion shekels monthly) used to reach Palestinian banks' accounts in Israel digitally, creating a state of balance that mitigated the crisis of the accumulated shekel.

With the weakness or absence of international pressure on Israel, we may be just days or weeks away from a severe shortage of vital supplies to the West Bank, primarily fuel. Thus, the complete withholding of all clearance funds and the prevention of shipping the accumulated shekel currency in Palestinian banks become the strongest card to completely paralyze the Palestinian economy, without the need to cancel the banking relationship with correspondent banks.

Not paying salaries creates a painful reality where the ordinary employee bears the brunt of the suffering, but preventing the flow of essential goods into the market will undoubtedly create an even more painful reality. It is a recipe to make life for Palestinians in the West Bank primitive, and this is not an exaggeration; it is a real danger if Israeli stubbornness continues, and the declared goal is to create a repulsive environment that drives the Palestinian people to displacement as the Israeli right dreams.

It seems that Israel is racing against time to push the situation in the West Bank to explode ahead of the recognition of the Palestinian state next month. Since "the strong is not ashamed," and there is no one to deter it, it is capable of bringing the situation to a breaking point. Therefore, any patchwork attempt to provide liquidity and increase the salary payment percentage will be futile; rather, it will increase the repercussions and risks if our fate is to have the situation explode against our will.

This reality requires transparency with citizens about the truth of the schemes being plotted against their existence and resources, and it requires the greatest degree of community partnership, and launching an economic dialogue whose outcomes are binding for managing the little available in a way that serves resilience and survival at this stage, and there is no other priority.