A sharp warning issued by Estephan Salameh, the Palestinian Authority’s Minister of Finance, according to which 2026 will be the most difficult year in the PA’s history in economic terms, is not merely a technical one relating to cash flow. It is a description of an expected result of Israel’s policies. Salameh explicitly links the crisis to the continued withholding of tax money Israel collects in the PA’s name (tax refunds for Palestinian laborers and duties on imports) but refuses to transfer.
