Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas will ask Arab countries for urgent financial aid for the Palestinians during the upcoming Arab summit in Iraq, Palestinian officials in Ramallah said Wednesday.
The officials complained that the Arab countries have failed to fulfill previous promises to provide financial aid to the Palestinians.
They said that the PA was facing a severe financial crisis because of the failure of the Arab countries and some Western donors to meet their obligations toward the Palestinians.
PA Labor Minister, Ahmed Majdalani, noted that the deficit in the PA budget was estimated at nearly $2 billion.
He said that Abbas, who is expected to attend the summit in Baghdad, will stress the need to support the Palestinians financially "in the face of Israeli efforts to Judaize Jerusalem."
PLO Secretary-General Yasser Abed Rabbo urged the Arab countries to support the Palestinians "politically and financially."
Speaking on the eve of the Arab summit, Abed Rabbo also appealed to the international community to intervene to salvage the peace process. He said that the road to peace was blocked in light of Israel’s insistence on building in the settlements and east Jerusalem.
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