Palestine finance minister warns ending banking ties with Israel would disrupt essential services

Palestinian Finance Minister Istifan Salameh warned on Wednesday that any disruption to banking ties with Israel would severely affect the Palestinian Authority’s ability to provide essential services, including electricity, water, and fuel. Speaking about the Palestinian Authority’s financial situation, Salameh said the government had reached what he described as “the end of the line” economically and financially in its relationship with Israel. He warned that severing banking relations would make daily life significantly more difficult for Palestinians by disrupting access to critical public services. Salameh also said the ongoing cash liquidity crisis and shortage of Israeli shekels are not new problems, arguing that the long-term solution is to gradually reduce reliance on the Israeli currency because, according to him, Israel […]