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Abbas starts austerity measures by sacking his advisers

Several reasons pushed President Mahmoud Abbas to suddenly end the services of his advisers, most notably his intention to downsize the number of his many advisers amid the crippling financial crisis hitting the PA.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas attends the Arab summit in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, May 31, 2019. REUTERS/Hamad l Mohammed - RC1BE89F1CC0
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RAMALLAH, West Bank — Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas decided to fire all his advisers Aug. 19, regardless of their title or ranking. He also canceled all “the decisions and contracts related to them,” and suspended the rights and privileges they received in their advisory capacity.

Abbas’ decision, published by the Palestinian official news agency Wafa, made no mention of the reasons behind the move or the exact number of the fired advisers. But on the same day, Wattan news listed 10 advisers who were allegedly fired, most notably, religious affairs adviser Mahmoud al-Habbash, diplomatic affairs adviser Majdi al-Khalidi and legal affairs adviser Ali Muhanna.

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