Council of Ministers Meeting in its session no. (52)
Council of Ministers holds its weekly session via video conference, and calls all citizens to continue committing to preventative measures to face the Coronavirus outbreak
Some factories will be allowed to work according to health safety measures
The government is working on a plan to refresh the economic situation for the small and very small sized enterprises through a fund with an initial budget of (USD 300 million)
Ramallah – The Prime Minister's Office: H.E. the Prime Minister, Dr. Mohammad Shtayyeh, called all citizens to continue their commitment to the preventative measures and procedures taken by the government to prevent the Coronavirus pandemic outbreak to preserve their safety and the safety of their people.
Accordingly, this was at the beginning of the Cabinet's weekly session, that was held on Monday using Video Conference. During this session, the Council of Ministers listened to reports from the Ministry of Health, Ministry of National Economy, Ministry of Labor, Ministry of Agriculture and Ministry of Social Development, where the Ministers confirmed in their reports the importance of expanding the scale of financial and in-kind support for poor households, in light of the suspension of the economic wheel and that there is no income for categories that became in need to receiving help and aids.
Moreover, H.E. Minister of National Economy presented the Ministry's effort in securing the flow of food supplies to the markets and observing prices to prevent monopolization, confirming that the importation process did not stop, especially, the basic food supplies.
Additionally, H.E. Minister of Labor went through the conditions of those workers who work in Israel and in the local market. He confirmed that it is very necessary to provide aids for workers who lost their jobs, in addition to the necessity of applying the agreement that the Ministry of Labor made with the production parties.
Also, H.E. Minister of Agriculture pointed out the importance of the poultry farms in Al-Aghwar, and that is very necessary to encourage farmers to harvest their crops and export them to the markets.
H.E. Minister of Social Development also pointed out that the Ministry will start implementing an aid program for about 30 thousand workers, by the beginning of the Holy Month of Ramadan, who lost their livelihood.
Also, H.E. Minister of Jerusalem Affairs requested an international intervention to oblige Israel to hold its responsibilities in the Holy City. Thus, he accused Israel that it is neglecting on purpose to deal with the Coronavirus in the Holy City, which, in return, resulted in raising the numbers of infection cases of this disease.
During a press conference that H.E. the Prime Minister held, where the emergency state started its seventh week on a row, he pointed out that some factories, with full health safety measures, will be allowed to operate after obtaining a permit from the Governor, and a recommendation from both Ministries of Health and National Economy, after proving its capability to preserve the safety of their workers and employees, in addition to arranging their transport operation and providing social distance measures between them during the work hours.
Consequently, the Prime Minister said that libraries, stationary shops, dry cleaning shops, sewing stores, electricity appliances stores and health supplies stores will be allowed to open on Fridays from 10 a.m. till 5 p.m., and that all food stores and supermarkets shall be closed on that day.
Shtayyeh declared that the government is working on a plan for economic refreshing of the small, medium and very small sized enterprises through a fund with an initial budget of (USD 300 million), that will create motivations for some sectors of those which were affected the most due to the emergency, through easy banking programs and with support from the Arab and Islamic Funds.
He also pointed out that aids will be provided to 30 thousand workers who lost their jobs, that is to be during the Holy Month of Ramadan, and in coordination with the Ministry of Labor, Palestinian General Federation of Trade Unions and the Ministry of Social Development. Also, aids for 116 thousand additional households will be paid by the Ministry of Social Development, 81 thousands households in Gaza Strip and the rest in the West Bank. Those aids are totaled to be (ILS 137 million).
Furthermore, the Prime Minister said: "We worked with an austere emergency budget, with a deficit of (US 1.4 billion). Yet, we will try to cover some of this deficit in different ways, whether by reducing expenditures, lending from banks or asking for more support/aids, especially from countries that regularly support us."
Shtayyeh also disclosed the demand of the Israeli side to settle some of tax accounts on owed money by us. Hence, the government asked the Palestinian Monetary Authority to handle the issue of bounced checks, according to mechanisms that preserve rights and that the current procedures shall not be a tool to escape/evade commitments.
The Prime Minister confirmed that the government will provide/offer all what it can to our people in Jerusalem. He also pointed out to the European Union response to the government's request of transferring government projects of about (EURO 9.5 million) to the hospitals of Jerusalem, so they can better serve our people in light of outbreak of this pandemic, and this payment will be followed with another one with a value of (EURO 16 million).
Moreover, Shtayyeh said: "University students will finish the academic term in its time through the method of online education, and the arrangement for summer terms is ongoing now. The Ministry of Education is studying the mechanism of calculating and facilitating the current academic term in schools."
H.E. the Prime Minister saluted all freedom prisoners on the occasion of the Palestinian Prisoner Day, on the 17th of April, renewing demands to release all prisoners, especially elderly persons, sick persons, women and children "to avoid the tragedy the world is living", and calling for launching a wide solidarity campaign with the prisoners at the local and international levels.
Accordingly, Shtayyeh confirmed that the government is following up with all Palestinians in Diaspora. He expressed his condolences and paid tribute to those who died of the Coronavirus and where deprived from being buried under the Palestinian soil.
He saluted the security forces on the huge efforts they made to bridge the gaps and leaks in the different regions. He also praised, once again, all the efforts made by the medical and nursing staffs.
Thus, he praised the high commitment of citizens with the preventive measures, where the percentage of commitment reached in the cities for more than 90%, and a little lower than that in villages and camps.
Furthermore, H.E. the Prime Minister called, at the end of his talk, all citizen to hold on a little more and be more patient, and said: "Your patience is the most important because the lives of your children and your lives are what matters. I'm well aware of the conflict between economic measures and health measures. But, what we want is maintaining the balance between people's health and their ability not to sleep hungry; therefore, our procedures and measures will continue."
Also, the Prime Minister saluted the people of Bethlehem Governorate for their commitment that led to stability of the number of cases and not rising the number of cases, as well as preventing the infection to be transmitted to other governorates. He said that the measures will be evaluated after the holy holidays. He also saluted citizens in northwest and northeast of Jerusalem and in all other infected regions.
Additionally, the Prime Minister pointed out that transferring goods and food supplies through borders is available, and also through harbors and from inside the Green Line and between governorates, especially farmers' products.
Lastly and at the end of the session, the following decisions were made:
- 1-Approving irrevocable referral for a number of medication tenders for the Ministry of Health.
- 2-Adopting the funding of a number of non-profit organizations.
- 3-Submitting a proposal to H.E. Mr. President on allocating a number of lands for public good.
- 4-Submitting a proposal to H.E. Mr. President on cancelling the Value Added Tax for donations via written letters.
- 5-Allowing a number of individual occupations to practice their work in accordance with the adopted health standards in this phase.