The salary crisis is hurting employees: deferred obligations and accelerated entitlements.
Dr. Shaker Khalil: Employees no longer have any additional flexibility to deal with the current situation, which requires the government to intervene with realistic, low-cost solutions.
Amjad Al-Tamimi: The crisis has pushed many employees to seek alternatives, such as borrowing, asking for help from relatives, or taking on additional work, even if the pay is modest.
Firas Al-Tawil: Employees are facing an unprecedented financial crisis with irregular and fragmented salaries. Therefore, they must re-prioritize and avoid borrowing.
Hasnaa Al-Rantisi: The salary crisis has completely reshaped employees' lives and forced them to rearrange their priorities according to the principle of "essentials first."
Jaafar Sedka: Current solutions are temporary palliatives that do not address the core of the crisis. Strengthening the local economy is important, but it does not build a resilient national economy.
Amid a stifling economic crisis, public sector employees in the West Bank are experiencing one of the most difficult times. Salaries continue to be delayed and are being paid at significant rates due to Israel's continued piracy of clearance revenues, increasing debt and burdening families.
In interviews with "I," testimonies from employees from several governorates reveal the details of harsh daily life: deferred installments, postponed essential expenses, and limited options for survival amid a continuing wave of high prices and merciless financial demands. Radical solutions are absent, and the space for hope is shrinking.
In separate interviews with "I," economic experts asserted that the ongoing salary crisis without a radical solution is placing employees under significant pressure and deepening the crisis in the Palestinian economy, which relies heavily on employees. They emphasized the need for an urgent emergency plan and effective government intervention to ease the burden on employees.
Underpaid salaries and accumulated debts
Amid stifling economic conditions, public sector employees from various cities reveal the outlines of an intolerable crisis, with delayed and insufficient salaries now a threat to thousands of families living off the meager public spending.
Qusay Mahmoud, a government employee from Ramallah, sums up the situation of many, saying, "We still haven't received our May salary, and this is a huge burden on us. I have a daughter studying at university, and I pay between 5,000 and 6,000 shekels each semester, not to mention the school fees for my other children and the monthly electricity, water, and internet bills. Companies want their dues, and no one appreciates that you've been an employee without a salary for two months. What's worse is that we haven't received a full salary for four years, while the prices of goods continue to rise."
According to Mahmoud, the majority of employees in Ramallah are tied to high monthly apartment rents, which increases the pressure on their families.
Mahmoud says, "There are many family problems that occur because the employee is no longer able to fulfill his obligations, which he can barely cover a portion of."
Abdul Fattah Abu Maryam, an employee from Nablus, recounts another aspect of the suffering, saying, "Because of the crisis, I recently had to walk to work and back, because I sometimes don't have the money for transportation. I used to own a car and sold it to cover my expenses, while my colleagues from the villages are suffering more. Some of them borrow from drivers to get to work."
In Salfit, teacher Raghda Hassan and her husband—both government employees—are also struggling with debt. “We’re building a new house and renting at the same time,” she says. “With the reduced salaries, we’re forced to shift our obligations from one month to the next. This is very difficult in the long run.”
The crisis affects retirees
Ghassan Hajj Muhammad, a retired teacher from Ramallah, explained how the crisis has extended to retirees as well, saying, "I used to receive 5,000 shekels before retirement. Now my pension is only 3,000 shekels, and with the clearance crisis, it has become even less. I have monthly obligations and installments, and what helps me a little is that my children and wife work and help me. But sometimes I have to borrow and carry over the debts from one month to the next."
Meanwhile, Osama Rabie, a retired government employee, sums up the situation by saying, "The salary is not enough anyway, so what if it is delayed or reduced? Employees base their lives on their salary, and any shortfall upsets their balance. Some look for additional work to cover their obligations, but delays only accumulate debts and plunge them into a cycle of continuous borrowing. What's worse is that if an employee falls ill, they may not find appropriate treatment in government hospitals, in addition to their social obligations and events."
Extremely difficult situation and exhaustion of possible means of coping
Economist and academic Dr. Shaker Khalil asserts that public employees in Palestine are facing an extremely difficult situation as the wage crisis continues, entering its fourth consecutive year. He explains that the civil servants have "exhausted all possible means of coping" amid the lack of a clear solution due to Israel's continued intransigence regarding the transfer of clearance revenues.
According to Khalil, employees have suffered repeated salary cuts in recent years, sometimes at 60%, other times at 70%, and most recently at 35%. This has forced them to postpone their obligations and cut their expenses, leading many to live in "hardship," with remittances declining month after month, while there are no signs of relief on the horizon.
Khalil asserts that Israel's continued withholding of clearance funds, and its use as a political blackmail tool, has exacerbated the crisis. Previously, the occupation authorities had deducted more than 60% of the clearance funds and left 40%, but today they have not transferred anything for more than two months.
Khalil explains that employees no longer have the flexibility to deal with the current situation, which requires the Palestinian government to intervene immediately with realistic, low-cost solutions to ease the burden and ensure a degree of financial and social stability.
Practical suggestions that can be implemented in the immediate term
In this context, Khalil offers a series of practical proposals that can be implemented in the immediate term. However, these do not address the core issue, nor do they constitute an alternative to salaries. This requires the government to intervene effectively and work to resolve the crisis.
According to Khalil, these proposals begin with the formation of a government economic emergency plan, with the participation of various parties, and announce it publicly to address the current economic crisis.
He emphasizes the importance of regularly transferring funds to employees, disbursing partial cash payments periodically, even if small, rather than large, irregular payments, so that employees can plan and meet their minimum obligations.
Khalil stresses the importance of rescheduling existing loans with banks without imposing additional interest or late payment penalties, with the aim of preventing employees' financial collapse.
Khalil calls for deferring and paying basic government fees, such as electricity, water, municipal fees, and fees for public schools and universities, stressing that such a step would not require a direct financial cost and could be implemented through swift administrative decisions.
Khalil proposes issuing clear instructions allowing employees to work part-time or freelance outside of official working hours, as long as it does not conflict with their public service, in order to improve income and alleviate financial pressure.
Khalil stresses the need to enhance transparency and official media in explaining the dimensions of the crisis and the plans for addressing it, in addition to announcing a clear economic emergency plan that includes spending priorities, austerity measures, and sources of support, to instill confidence among employees and citizens.
Dr. Khalil urges the government to expand the domestic revenue base by combating tax evasion and improving collection from non-compliant large enterprises, without imposing any additional burdens on the poor. He emphasizes that continued political and diplomatic pressure locally, regionally, and internationally is necessary to compel Israel to transfer the clearance revenues and expose its blackmail policy before international institutions.
Khalil stresses the need for the Prime Minister to deliver a clear and direct message to the community and employees, informing them of the situation and procedures, with the aim of alleviating tension and enhancing confidence.
Khalil emphasizes that these solutions are urgent and temporary relief measures until the crisis resolves, emphasizing that the continuity of institutions and the resilience of society require clear political will and a genuine partnership between the government and all relevant parties.
Find alternatives such as borrowing or help from relatives.
Economic expert Amjad Al-Tamimi asserts that the salary crisis, which has been ongoing for nearly four years and reached its peak in recent months, has placed employees in an unprecedented position of being unable to meet their minimum living needs. He warns that a large segment of employees are no longer able to even reach the "subsistence" level they could barely survive on when the government paid them 70% of their salaries.
According to Al-Tamimi, the situation has worsened as the crisis enters its third month without any financial payments to employees. This comes amid the ongoing wave of price hikes and unavoidable life commitments. This has pushed many employees to seek unsustainable alternatives, such as borrowing from relatives or friends whose financial circumstances allow it, relying on remittances from relatives working abroad, or even seeking additional work, even if the returns are modest.
Al-Tamimi asserts that these temporary solutions will not guarantee a dignified and safe life for employees, warning of the growing voices of protest in the streets, both from employees and from the private sector, amidst the general state of discontent and the absence of any tangible prospect for a near-term resolution. This poses a serious threat to civil peace and societal stability.
He emphasizes that the primary and ultimate responsibility lies with the Palestinian government, which must move beyond the "broken record" of thanking employees for their steadfastness, asking, "What steadfastness are we talking about when employees have lost the ability to secure their basic living expenses?"
Al-Tamimi calls on the government to take real, practical steps, beginning with tangible spending cuts. He criticizes the continued luxury afforded to officials, such as government vehicles and fuel coupons, while employees suffer from the loss of their source of income.
Al-Tamimi called on the government to pressure banks to refrain from deducting any amounts from employees' truncated salaries or imposing late payment interest on existing loans, noting that delayed payments are not the responsibility of the employee but rather the fault of the government itself.
Al-Tamimi stresses the need for the government to move quickly to reach an understanding with service companies and higher education institutions to halt any severance or legal action against employees until the crisis resolves and salaries are restored to normal.
The majority live according to a "survival economy."
Firas Al-Tawil, editor-in-chief of the Palestinian website Al-Iqtisadi, explains that the stifling financial crisis afflicting public employees in the West Bank has pushed them into an unprecedented living crisis. He warns that the situation has reached the point of inability to provide the basic necessities of life, with the majority now living according to what could be called a "survival economy," based on postponing essentials and rolling over debt.
Al-Tawil, who has closely followed the economic situation through his journalistic work and daily interviews with public employees, in addition to his direct knowledge of the conditions of his relatives and friends working in the public sector, confirms that conditions were not comfortable even in the best of circumstances when salaries were paid in full and on time, as they barely covered basic necessities in light of the continuous waves of inflation, so what about now with irregular and fragmented salaries that are no longer enough to meet the needs of the hungry?
Al-Tawil points out that many employees today are mired in a cycle of bank debt, as most of them are committed to monthly loans that burden them, while the majority of their salary—after deductions—goes toward paying these obligations, leaving them with little money to cover their living expenses. Those who haven't borrowed from banks have resorted to borrowing from grocery stores, relatives, and neighbors, until the idea of borrowing and living off debt has become a bitter daily reality for employees.
Al-Tawil explains that the crisis has affected the daily lives of employees, as some are no longer able to pay for their children's university transportation or renew their internet subscriptions, which are essential for their children's education. Other families have been forced to postpone other essential obligations.
Al-Tawil believes that this crisis not only drains people's pockets, but also threatens employees' personal dignity and saps their nerves.
"Mitigation measures" are still ink on paper
Although the government has announced some measures to ease the burden, including contacting electricity, water, and telecommunications companies to facilitate payments and prevent late payment fines, Al-Tawil believes these measures remain ink on paper for most employees who have yet to see their actual results. Therefore, Al-Tawil stresses the need to transform these facilitation measures from mere media statements into a tangible reality, obligating companies to implement them flexibly and without complicated conditions.
Al-Tawil calls on the government to act more effectively, by coordinating with the Monetary Authority to reschedule bank loans and postpone their due dates without imposing any additional burdens on employees.
Al-Tawil is calling for the activation of a special emergency fund to support the most affected public employees, even if only for symbolic amounts to cover basic needs such as food, medicine, and transportation.
In contrast, Al-Tawil points to the significant role the private sector can play during this crisis, whether through solidarity initiatives from telecom companies, the retail sector, or banks. These initiatives include exceptional discounts for public employees, the availability of interest-free deferred payment, or the provision of essential goods at preferential prices.
As for the employee himself, Al-Tawil advises him to re-arrange his living priorities, temporarily forego luxuries as much as possible, and avoid borrowing or taking out new loans that could increase the burden later.
Al-Tawil stresses the importance of considering additional sources of income, no matter how limited, as well as encouraging community cooperation among families through group shopping, resource sharing, and shared transportation services to reduce daily expenses.
Al-Tawil warns that what employees are experiencing today is not merely a temporary salary crisis, but rather a complex crisis that threatens economic and social collapse unless everyone—government, private sector, and civil society—takes serious, practical steps to mitigate its effects before its burdens become too great for employees and their families to bear.
"Basics First"... Heavy Challenges
Economic journalist Hasnaa Al-Rantisi asserts that the ongoing salary crisis has completely reshaped employees' lives, forcing them to re-prioritize their living conditions based on the principle of "essentials first." This comes at a time when securing the minimum requirements for daily living has become a daunting challenge, especially given the high dependency ratio of approximately 29.2%, with employees often shouldering the responsibility of supporting their families, including their parents.
Al-Rantisi explains that entertainment has become almost nonexistent in families' lives. There are no tourist programs, no family meals at restaurants, and not even opportunities to enroll children in summer camps or recreational activities. This forces children to spend their vacations glued to screens and phones for long hours, leaving disturbing psychological and physical effects in the long term.
According to Al-Rantisi, with declining resources, social life has shrunk to a bare minimum. Families avoid social events that require additional spending, while paying electricity, water, and internet bills is given top priority to avoid power outages. Medicines are purchased on credit, or home treatment is resorted to as an economical alternative.
Al-Rantisi notes that some employees rely on remittances from relatives working abroad, while others are forced to seek additional work in cafes, gas stations, or grocery stores to fill income gaps.
Women played an important role in mitigating the effects of the crisis.
Al-Rantisi explains that women have played a significant role in mitigating the effects of the crisis through small home-based businesses or handicrafts. Some have been forced to sell their personal savings—even gold—to cover basic expenses such as school fees. Al-Rantisi notes that one of her colleagues sold her wedding ring to buy school supplies for her children.
Al-Rantisi points out that individual aspirations, such as university education, building a home, or marriage, are postponed indefinitely, while the employee is forced to adapt psychologically to this reality. Discontent is replaced by a general state of numbness and loss of passion, in the absence of any shock or surprise at the deteriorating situation, as if he were merely a silent observer of the collapse of his surroundings.
Al-Rantisi criticizes the government's lack of realistic solutions, asserting that the government's inability to pay its employees' salaries and meet their basic needs does not give it the right to prosecute them simply for attempting to find alternative income through additional work or small projects.
She stresses that reducing working hours is not a real solution, nor does it put food on the table or cover the electricity or medicine bills.
A government crisis, not an employee crisis
Rantisi believes that "the essence of the crisis lies in the fact that it is a government crisis, not an employee crisis." She argues that the average citizen cannot be expected to turn into an economist, following news of the clearance revenues or waiting for "Smotrich's approval" in search of a glimmer of hope. The government, however, bears the responsibility of finding solutions and ensuring a decent life for citizens, not leaving them alone to struggle under the pressure of stifling living conditions.
She points out that the Israeli occupation is a direct party to the strangulation of the Palestinian economy, but Palestinian citizens were not party to the Paris Economic Agreement, which defined the framework for financial relations. Therefore, they should not be left without protection or dignity.
"How can an employee be required to pay taxes, bills, and licensing fees while being denied the right to a full salary and health and education services?" Rantisi asked.
Al-Rantisi explains that employees today are wondering why fees and bills have not been postponed until salaries are paid regularly, and why they are forced to bear the cost of treatment at their own expense amid a shortage of medicines at government centers. Furthermore, they are forced to enroll their children in private schools due to repeated strikes and the declining quality of public education.
Al-Rantisi criticizes the lack of institutional and sectoral solidarity, as companies continue to cut off services to employees when payment is delayed, while there are no serious initiatives to protect them.
Al-Rantisi calls on banks and lending institutions to postpone interest-free loan installments, provide zero-interest emergency loans to support small businesses, and activate community responsibility programs.
She asserts that employees are not demanding miracles, but rather their basic rights as stipulated by law. She emphasizes that this phase requires genuine solidarity from everyone, and that leaving employees alone to face a complex crisis is an abdication of responsibility unbecoming of any country seeking to protect its citizens.
What is happening is not much different from what is happening in Gaza in terms of starvation.
Journalist and economist Jaafar Sedka asserts that the economic situation in the West Bank is now clearly evident. He explains that the ongoing starvation is not significantly different from the one taking place in Gaza, albeit to a lesser degree. However, the repercussions extend to all aspects of the Palestinian economy without exception.
Sadaka points out that the crisis' effects were not limited to public employees, but extended to include the private sector, markets, the commercial sector, and all economic activities.
Sadaka explains that the limited economic growth achieved in recent years was essentially based on government spending, primarily employee salaries, which pumped approximately one billion shekels into the market monthly, in addition to operating expenses and other payments that were the primary drivers of market activity.
Sadaka explains that reducing employee work hours is not new, as employees have been on incomplete shifts for over a year, and their attendance is limited to a few days to reduce transportation costs.
Sadaka points out that many employees have resorted to postponing their financial obligations, such as loan repayments, apartment rents, and electricity, water, and internet bills, in addition to seeking assistance from relatives working abroad.
According to Sadaka, what further complicates the crisis is that the affected employees join the approximately 200,000 workers who were employed in Israel and lost their jobs two years ago, exacerbating unemployment rates and the hardship of living.
The political dimension makes the scene even darker.
Sadaka describes the current situation as extremely dangerous from both the economic and livelihood perspectives, and believes that the political dimension further escalates the situation.
Sadaka asserts that withholding tax revenues is no longer merely a means of political blackmail to pressure the Palestinian Authority, as it was in the past. Rather, it has become part of a broader strategy led by Israeli government ministers such as Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir, with the support of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, aimed at displacing Palestinians from the West Bank as part of an annexation plan that precludes any prospect of a two-state solution.
Sadaka explains that the drying up of resources and the impoverishment of the people are aimed at driving them to despair of remaining on their land, leading to the mass and violent uprooting of citizens from the West Bank and the complete end of the Palestinian Authority's existence.
Sadaka explains that the situation can no longer tolerate this continuation, given the ongoing Israeli measures and the Palestinian Authority's inability to find real solutions.
He points out that all attempts to manage the crisis have been exhausted, whether through government borrowing from banks or through citizens' ability to manage their affairs for a longer period.
Sadaka asserts that relying on international pressure is no longer viable in the face of Israel's insistence on its policies. He believes the only solution requires a comprehensive confrontation using economic, commercial, and popular tools, because those who pursue a systematic policy of starvation and killing will not retreat through pressure alone.
Sadaka believes that current solutions are merely temporary palliatives that do not address the core of the crisis. He points out that strengthening the local economy at the village or city level is important and may alleviate some of the burdens of living and keep people alive, but it does not build a national economy capable of withstanding these policies.
