Will end of land-for-pay program kill Palestinian reconciliation?
The announced suspension of the distribution of government-owned land in lieu of government salaries in Gaza is raising questions about the decision's impact on the reconciliation.
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — On Nov. 7, Minister of Local Governance Hussein al-Araj announced that all government land allocated after Oct. 2, 2017, in the Gaza Strip was done illegally. New allocations of land are postponed until further notice.
The land allocation issue evolved from Hamas not being able to pay the salaries of government employees when it had full control of Gaza. Deputies for the Change and Reform Bloc, representing Hamas in the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC), ratified a law on Nov. 25, 2015, giving government employees land in Gaza based on the amount of back salary owed to them.
