The Palestinian All Gathering Calls for Reducing Fuel Prices

Hebron - Afaq News - The new fuel prices in Palestine have sparked criticism, due to the difference between them and the prices in the Israeli market, amid the difficult economic conditions faced by Palestinians.

Dr. Bassam Al-Qawasmi, a law professor at Hebron University and founder of the Palestinian All Gathering, stated that the new prices announced by the Palestinian government represent, in his view, an additional burden on the citizen, questioning their suitability to the existing economic conditions.

Al-Qawasmi pointed out that the price of a liter of gasoline in Palestine, according to the prices he mentioned, reached about 9 shekels, compared to about 7 shekels per liter of diesel in Israel, considering that the comparison between prices becomes more significant when looking at the large disparity in wage levels between the two sides.

He added that the minimum wage in Israel exceeds, according to his statement, 6400 shekels, while the minimum wage in Palestine is 1880 shekels, which he believes increases the burden of fuel prices on the purchasing power of the Palestinian citizen.

These criticisms come at a time when the West Bank is facing difficult economic conditions, with the ongoing repercussions of the war on the Gaza Strip, a decline in economic activity, rising unemployment rates, in addition to the restrictions that have affected the movement of Palestinian workers to the Israeli labor market.

Al-Qawasmi stated that the government, under these circumstances, should work to assist citizens and enhance their resilience, rather than impose, as he put it, additional burdens on them.

Al-Qawasmi also linked the issue of fuel prices to the political and institutional situation of the Palestinian Authority, criticizing the absence of an effective legislative council and its role in accountability and oversight of the government's performance.

In conclusion, he called on the government to retract the new fuel prices, considering that the current economic and living conditions require taking into account the citizens' ability to bear the costs of energy and transportation, and not to increase the burdens on families and economic sectors.