The Factional Coordination Committee in Bethlehem Governorate launched an initiative directed at the Palestinian government and the teachers' movement that has been leading the open strike since the fourth of last month in an attempt to find a solution to this crisis in an attempt to break through the stalemate and deadlock that the dialogues reached between the various parties and to restore the lifeline of the process education and its regularity in public schools in the West Bank.

The initiative called on male and female teachers to suspend the strike until the March salary is paid, which is supposed to be paid at the beginning of April 2023, and to return to educational life tomorrow morning, Thursday 3/16/2023. 2023, and the government also demanded that the 15% premium be fixed on the current month’s salary slip that was agreed upon between the federation and the government retroactively, starting from the date of 1/1/2023.

The government also demanded the disbursement of 5% of the 15% bonus on the salary for the month of March, which will be disbursed at the beginning of April 2023. As for the remaining 10% of the bonus, it will be disbursed when financial capabilities are available, as agreed upon with the unions.

The initiative called on the government to cancel any penalties it took or could take against teachers as a result of their participation in the strike, as soon as the parties agree to the initiative.

The Factional Coordination Committee also called on the government to seriously reconsider the cost of living allowance for public sector employees, which has been discontinued for many years.

The coordinator of the Factional Coordination Committee in Bethlehem Governorate, Muhammad al-Jaafari, said that the committee launched the initiative to end the teachers' strike and restore life to public schools in order to preserve the future of our students and the rights of teachers.

Al-Jaafari said that the initiative launched by the Coordination Committee of the Palestinian national factions was carried out in consultation with all concerned parties, starting with the teachers’ movement, the General Union of Teachers and the Minister of Education. and the Central Council of Teachers.

He explained that the Coordination Committee is awaiting responses from all parties that received the initiative, which came after consultation with various parties, as the initiative includes detailed provisions for all aspects of the crisis, in a manner that guarantees the restoration of educational life for schools and students.

Al-Jaafari stressed that the launch of this initiative came out of national responsibility and concern for the interest of our people and the interest of male and female teachers, our male and female students, and based on previous agreements and understandings that took place in 2022 and the understandings announced by the Council of Ministers, Dr. Muhammad Shtayyeh and Major General Majid Faraj, head of the Palestinian General Intelligence Service, last Thursday.