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Israel helping facilitate payment of Gaza civil servant salaries via Qatar

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A report in Maariv this morning says that Israel has helped to ensure that salaries of civil servants in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip are paid, facilitating a massive delivery of cash from Qatar.

The report says that a United Nations (UN) vehicle arrived at the Allenby Crossing between Jordan and Israel, loaded with around £15m in cash. Many of the workers at the crossing were allegedly asked to leave the scene, while the money was transferred to an armoured vehicle which then drove along the Jordan Valley road.

The bureau of Israel’s Defence Minister released a statement which said: “The money was for the public sector in the Gaza Strip and was not transferred by any official in the security establishment. A strict examination by security officials corroborates that the money will not be able to be used for terrorism, but will only aid in improving the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip.”

Earlier this week, Israel delivered a heavier than usual response to a rocket fired from Gaza into southern Israel, launching multiple targeted air strikes. In contrast, Israel also permits around 1,000 trucks each day to enter Gaza and says it wishes to maintain stability there.

Payment of civil servant salaries has long been a point of tension between Hamas and the Palestinian Authority (PA), which are both vying to stake their claim as the dominant source of Palestinian power. Hamas has previously demanded that the PA pay its civil servants as part of a reconciliation deal between the two factions.

Qatar has subsequently offered to pay the public sector salaries in Gaza, but according to Maariv, PA President Mahmoud Abbas is opposed to this happening on a regular basis. The Palestinian daily al-Quds reported last month that Qatar-based payments had reached Gaza with the permission of both the PA and Israel.

Writing at the time, analyst Avi Issacharoff questioned whether this would be a one-time arrangement. Maariv’s report indicates that the arrangement has continued.