In its weekly session, today, Monday, the Council of Ministers approved the appendix to the budget for the year 2023, and recommended the recommendation of President Mahmoud Abbas to attach it to the budget law, which was approved with the main elements of revenues and expenditures in a previous session.

The Council of Ministers had singled out today's session to discuss the appendices to the emergency budget law for the year 2023, where the Minister of Finance and the budget preparation staff in the ministry presented a presentation of possible scenarios for revenues and expenditures, and approved the final figures for that, as the budget was approved this year as a cash emergency budget, from which disbursement is made according to It is available from cash flows to the treasury, noting that the budget suffers from a deficit of no less than 360 million dollars, without the unjust Israeli deductions to which the public treasury is exposed, which raises the ceiling of the deficit to more than 610 million dollars.

The Cabinet expressed its appreciation for the effort made in preparing the budget, in light of the financial and political challenges that exacerbate the suffering of our people.

In his speech at the beginning of the session held in the city of Ramallah, Prime Minister Muhammad Shtayyeh condemned the settlers' continued incursions into the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque and calls for the slaughter of sacrifices in its courtyards, and the execution of the young doctor Muhammad Al-Osaibi from the town of Hura in the Negev in the 48 lands, and the accompanying arrests and deportations. For the worshipers in the mosque during the holy month, and the execution of the young Muhammad Baradiya from Surif town, and the killing of the two young men Muhammad al-Hallaq and Muhammad Abu Bakr in the city of Nablus this morning.

He said, "What is happening in Al-Aqsa Mosque is a violation of the sanctity of the sanctities, and pushes worshipers to move away from Al-Aqsa through intimidation and restrictions on people's entry and exit through barriers and gates," calling for an end to this arbitrariness and criminality practiced against our people.

He pointed out that due to the high Israeli deductions, which amounted to about 250 million shekels per month, in addition to the decline in international aid allocated to the budget, and the demands of trade unions and public state employees, the government was forced to borrow from banks so that the March salary would be paid within days, just as the April salary would be paid before Eid Al-Fitr leave, so that employees can meet their financial obligations during the Eid holiday.

The Prime Minister called on all teachers to return to their schools at the end of the vacation next Sunday, and to make up for the students’ missed lessons, according to the schedule prepared by the Ministry of Education.

He said, "We respect the agreements that were signed with them, the basis of which is adding 15% to the coupon, and we will do that, and 5% of it will be paid this month, while the remaining 10% will be allocated to them on the coupon and it is included in the 2023 budget, and we will fulfill all of these obligations towards you, God willing." We can do that before the end of this year."

And he continued: "But if the financial crisis continues and we are unable to do so, we want you to understand and bear the burden with us, and bear with us the country without prejudice to what is yours. I say this to the teachers and everyone."

Shtayyeh thanked President Mahmoud Abbas for his wisdom and directives, members of the Central Committee, the Revolutionary Council, secretaries of the regions, Fatah movement cadres, leaders of the national factions and security agencies, parents of students, the Ministries of Education and Finance, and community figures for their positive efforts. For the progress and regularity of the educational process, and for a bright future for our dear students.

He continued: "We are a people under occupation and we are facing the occupier in difficult conditions, politically, security, economically and financially, and there is continuous aggression against our people and our land. In side conflicts that take us away from our main goal.

The Prime Minister said: "The Israeli financial rivalries, and the retreat of some donors, aim to put pressure on us and subdue us, but everyone knows that we do not exchange politics for money, and what is important is that we bear each other, and understand our reality in which we live, and that what is between us is the language of dialogue, in order to reach a minimum of understanding.