Press release
ICSPR strongly condemns the Palestinian Authority’s decision to cut the salaries of a number of deputies and members of the Palestinian Legislative Council.
The International commission to Support Palestinians’ Rights (ICSPR) continued to express its deep disapproval regarding what a number of local media outlets reported on Tuesday, 06 June 2017, that the Ministry of Finance cut the salaries of members and deputies of the Legislative Council of the Fatah bloc, and that was for their political positions and opinions.
This decision comes within the framework of a multi-chapters Palestinian official policy against the deputies and members of the Legislative Council, which began lifting parliamentary immunity, by preventing a number of MPs from their rights, public freedoms and ending with implementing the salary cut policy upon them without any legality or support in the law.
This decision also coincides with the decision of the National Authority represented by the Ministry of Finance to cut the salaries of approximately 277 released prisoners, some of them were deported to Gaza Strip. The Palestinian Authority is subjected to Israeli – American pressure, which announced this stipulation on more than one occasion.
The International commission to Support Palestinians’ Rights (ICSPR) affirms that the policy of cutting salaries, in particular the salaries of deputies in the Legislative Council, is a clear violation of the Palestinian law, which would destroy the principle of the rule of law and separation of authorities and undermine the entire political system in favor of domination and exclusivity in power and decision, which perpetuates tyranny and corruption of the government system.
The International commission to Support Palestinians’ Rights (ICSPR) believes that the decisions of cutting and deducting salaries of public employees and cutting salaries of the released prisoners, deputies and members of the Legislative Council lacks constitutionality and administrative decision elements in terms of generality, abstraction, Causation and the consideration of public interest, and as issuing and announced it are actions in contrary to the limits prescribed by the law, and the aggressiveness of the executive authority on the principles of separation between the authorities and the rule of law, we demand the following:
1- ICSPR announces its full solidarity with the deputies and members of the Legislative Council, whose salaries were cut off, and affirms the illegality of this procedure, because it carries a clear violation of the Palestinian laws, especially the Palestinian Basic Law and the articles of parliamentary immunity as well as the laws regulating the civil service
2- ICSPR confirms that the decision of cutting salaries is illegal for several reasons, including that it was a result of the deputies expressing their political views, Moreover, the penalty of cutting the salary is not stipulated by the law, which is in contrary to the provisions of the Basic Law: no crime and no penalty except by text, and neither the presidential nor governmental institutions have the power to cut salaries.
3- ICSPR calls on President Mahmoud Abbas and the Palestinian government immediately to retract this decision and work to restore the full salaries of deputies and members of the Legislative Council, released prisoners and employees whose salaries were cut, in accordance with the rule of law and to achieve justice.
4- ICSPR urge regional and international parliamentary federations and international concerned actors to act and stop the authority violations of the deputies immunity, legal norms and international human rights standards.
5- ICSPR calls on all political forces and civil society organizations to act and stop the deterioration of the political system and the status of rights and freedoms, and to ensure work to end the division and restoring national unity, and accelerate the holding of presidential, legislative and the National Council elections and work to create the atmosphere for the presidential elections, As an effective and constructive exit from the crisis caused by the political system division.
