PA PROMISE OF TEACHER SALARY PAYMENTS UNFULFILLED;

C O N F I D E N T I A L JERUSALEM 004773 SIPDIS SIPDIS NEA FOR FRONT OFFICE; NEA/IPA FOR WILLIAMS/SHAMPAINE/STEINGER; PRM FOR PDAS GREENE AND PRM/ANE; NSC FOR ABRAMS/DORAN/WATERS; TREASURY FOR SZUBIN/LOEFFLER/NUGENT/HIRSON; BRUSSELS FOR LERNER; PLEASE PASS TO USAID FOR KUNDER/MCCLOUD/BORODIN E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/09/16 TAGS: EFIN ELAB PGOV KWBG SUBJECT: PA PROMISE OF TEACHER SALARY PAYMENTS UNFULFILLED; GENERAL STRIKE KEEPS SCHOOLS CLOSED REF: JERUSALEM 4747 CLASSIFIED BY: CONSUL GENERAL JAKE WALLES, REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D) ¶1. (SBU) AS PART OF AN AGREEMENT REACHED NOVEMBER 6 (REFTEL) THE PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY (PA) ANNOUNCED THAT IT WOULD BEGIN PAYING PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHERS NIS 1,000 ON NOVEMBER 9. MINISTER OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY JAMAL AL-KHUDARI ORDERED POST OFFICE WORKERS, WHO ARE OBSERVING A THREE-DAY GENERAL STRIKE PROTESTING THE IDF'S DEADLY ARTILLERY SHELLING OF BEIT HANOUN IN GAZA, TO REPORT TO WORK NOVEMBER 9 SO THAT TEACHERS CAN COLLECT THE PARTIAL PAYMENT OF THEIR MONTHLY SALARY. POST OFFICE EMPLOYEES IN THE NABLUS MUNICIPALITY, HOWEVER, REPORTEDLY TOLD TEACHERS THAT NO FUNDS WERE AVAILABLE AND SUGGESTED THAT THEY RETURN ON NOVEMBER 11. POST OFFICES IN BETHANY DID NOT OPEN. POST OFFICES IN MANY OTHER AREA ALSO REMAINED CLOSED. IN HEBRON, HOWEVER, SOME TEACHERS REPORTEDLY RECEIVED PAYMENT, ACCORDING TO THEIR FAMILY MEMBERS' CONVERSATIONS WITH ECONSPECIALIST. ¶2. (C) PRESIDENTIAL ECONOMIC ADVISOR MOHAMMAD MUSTAFA CONFIRMED TO ECONCHIEF NOVEMBER 9 THAT THE PA, AND NOT THE PRESIDENCY, IS MAKING THESE PAYMENTS. IMF RESIDENT REPRESENTATIVE JOEL TOUJAS-BERNATE TOLD ECONCHIEF NOVEMBER 7 THAT HE COULD NOT CONFIRM HOW THE PA IS MAKING THESE PAYMENTS BUT SPECULATED THAT DOMESTIC REVENUES ARE THE LIKELY SOURCE. ¶3. (SBU) UNDER THE TERMS OF THE NOVEMBER 6 AGREEMENT, TEACHERS WERE EXPECTED TO GO BACK TO WORK ON NOVEMBER 7 AND STUDENTS TO FOLLOW ON NOVEMBER 11. LARGE NUMBERS OF STUDENTS -- DEPRIVED OF CLASSES FOR OVER TWO MONTHS -- NEVERTHELESS BEGAN SHOWING UP AT SCHOOLS ON NOVEMBER 7. ABOUT 70 PERCENT OF STUDENTS IN QALQILIYA WENT TO SCHOOL ON NOVEMBER 7 AND 80 PERCENT OF STUDENTS IN TULKAREM SHOWED UP AT CLASS, ACCORDING TO THE ARABIC-LANGUAGE DAILY AL-AYYAM. DUE TO THE GENERAL STRIKE IN RESPONSE TO THE DEATHS IN BEIT HANOUN, HOWEVER, PUBLIC SCHOOLS WILL REMAIN CLOSED UNTIL NOVEMBER 11 OR 12. WALLES