Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Thursday, Oct 02, 2025

World Bank Urges PA to Implement More Administrative, Financial Reforms

World Bank Urges PA to Implement More Administrative, Financial Reforms

The World Bank (WB) said in a report issued Sunday that Palestinian reforms are needed on both the revenue and expenditure sides for a more sustainable fiscal position, stressing that the Palestinian Authority’s (PA) progress in its reform agenda will be met with robust support from international partners.
The World Bank’s Palestinian Economic Monitoring Report to the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee (AHLC) will be presented in New York on September 22 during a policy-level meeting on development assistance for the Palestinian people.

The WB report said the PA continues to make progress in improving the public financial management and it has also recently strengthened the Palestinian Anti-Money Laundering and Combating Financing of Terrorism framework.

However, it said the Authority’s reforms are not sufficient to put the Palestinian territories on a sustainable development path.

The WB’s report came at a time when the Authority is working on financial reforms, including a plan to send thousands of employees to retirement in order to reduce the wage bill.

The PA is supposed to launch next month a plan that allows employees to retire voluntarily, to be followed in a second stage by a plan for compulsory retirement.

This policy will be implemented at a time when the Authority is suffering from its worst financial crisis due to Israel’s continued deduction of funds from Palestinian tax revenues, the Covid-19 pandemic, and the decline in foreign aid.

The World Bank said in its report that despite some signs of recovery, the Palestinian economy has not yet rebounded to its pre-pandemic level.

Stefan Emblad, World Bank Country Director for West Bank and Gaza said the Palestinian economy continues to face enormous challenges that may affect its long-term macroeconomic stability.

“The compounded effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Ukraine war, clashes in the West Bank and recurring conflicts in Gaza, on top of the fiscal stress amplify the destabilization risks,” he stressed.

Adding to that, Emblad said donor aid remains insufficient to close the financing gap which may reach 3.3 percent of GDP in 2022, reducing the PA’s ability to meet its recurrent commitments.

The report showed that growth is projected to reach 3.5 percent in 2022, down from 7.1 percent in 2021, leading to a rapid inflation, driving further up food and fuel prices, which account for a higher proportion of expenses in poor households.

It said that granting Palestinian businesses access to Area C could boost the Palestinian economy by a third and increase revenues by 6 percent of GDP.

The report also suggested that the Israeli government transfer the revenues it collects from business establishments operating in Area C and fees collected from the Allenby Bridge exit, in accordance with the 1995 interim agreement, and to reduce the 3 percent fee it charges for handling Palestinian imports.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
Nvidia and Abu Dhabi’s TII Launch First AI-&-Robotics Lab in the Middle East
UK, Canada, and Australia Officially Recognise Palestine in Historic Shift
New Eye Drops Show Promise in Replacing Reading Glasses for Presbyopia
Dubai Property Boom Shows Strain as Flippers Get Buyer’s Remorse
Top AI Researchers Are Heading Back to China as U.S. Struggles to Keep Pace
JWST Data Brings TRAPPIST-1e Closer to Earth-Like Habitability
UAE-US Stargate Project Poised to Make Abu Dhabi a Global AI Powerhouse
Trump and Starmer Clash Over UK Recognition of Palestinian State Amid State Visit
Saudi Arabia cracks down on music ‘lounges’ after conservative backlash
Saudi Arabia Signs ‘Strategic Mutual Defence’ Pact with Pakistan, Marking First Arab State to Gain Indirect Access to Nuclear Strike Capabilities in the Region
Sam Altman sells the 'Wedding Estate' in Hawaii for 49 million dollars
Turkish car manufacturer Togg Enters German Market with 5-Star Electric Sedan and SUV to Challenge European EV Brands
World’s Longest Direct Flight China Eastern to Launch 29-Hour Shanghai–Buenos Aires Direct Flight via Auckland in December
New OpenAI Study Finds Majority of ChatGPT Use Is Personal, Not Professional
Kuwait opens bidding for construction of three cities to ease housing crunch.
This Week in AI: Meta’s Superintelligence Push, xAI’s Ten Billion-Dollar Raise, Genesis AI’s Robotics Ambitions, Microsoft Restructuring, Amazon’s Million-Robot Milestone, and Google’s AlphaGenome Update
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
Turkish authorities seize leading broadcaster amid fraud and tax investigation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Big Oil Slashes Jobs and Investments Amid Prolonged Low Crude Prices
Social Media Access Curtailed in Turkey After CHP Calls for Rallies Following Police Blockade of Istanbul Headquarters
Did the Houthis disrupt the internet in the Middle East? Submarine cables cut in the Red Sea
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Trump Administration Advances Plans to Rebrand Pentagon as Department of War Instead of the Fake Term Department of Defense
Tether Expands into Gold Sector with Profit-Driven Diversification
Trump’s New War – and the ‘Drug Tyrant’ Fearing Invasion: ‘1,200 Missiles Aimed at Us’
At the Parade in China: Laser Weapons, 'Eagle Strike,' and a Missile Capable of 'Striking Anywhere in the World'
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
Israeli Airstrike in Yemen Kills Houthi Prime Minister
After the Shock of Defeat, Iranians Yearn for Change
YouTube Altered Content by Artificial Intelligence – Without Permission
Iran Faces Escalating Water Crisis as Protests Spread
More Than Half a Million Evacuated as Typhoon Kajiki Heads for Vietnam
HSBC Switzerland Ends Relationships with Over 1,000 Clients from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, and Egypt
Sharia Law Made Legally Binding in Austria Despite Warnings Over 'Incompatible' Values
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Miles Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Cristiano Ronaldo Makes Surprise Stop at New Hong Kong Museum
Zelenskyy to Visit Washington after Trump–Putin Summit Yields No Agreement
×