The Palestinian government continues to talk about its fiscal deficit and questions its ability to meet Palestinians' economic needs. Most recently on Oct. 24, Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah said that the Palestinian Authority (PA) is facing a severe financial crisis, calling on nations and donors to fulfill their obligations toward the Palestinians per the Oslo Accord signed between Palestinians and Israelis in 1993.

On Oct. 30, the director of the Budget Department at the Palestinian Ministry of Finance, Farid Ghannam, pointed to Saudi Arabia's failure to meet its financial obligations toward the PA since April, noting that the value of this seven-month failed contribution is estimated at $140 million. Ever since January 2013, Riyadh has raised the sum of its monthly financial support to the PA from $14 million to $20 million.

On Oct. 26, Ahmad Majdalani, a member of the PLO's Executive Committee, confirmed that the PA has not been receiving financial support from Saudi Arabia. He attributed this to economic factors in light of the Saudi Treasury’s economic crisis due to the war it is fighting in Yemen and the oil prices slump.

Al-Monitor tried to contact Ghannam several times but to no avail. However, a former Palestinian minister of economy who is familiar with the PA’s financial status, told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity, “The PA wanted to keep Saudi Arabia’s failure to provide financial support away from the media, because it does not want to create any tension. The PA’s officials contacted their Saudi counterparts to find out the reason behind the delay in funds but have yet to receive any answers.”