PA seeks talks to rework key economic accord

RAMALLAH: The Palestinian Authority has formally asked Israel for talks on changing the Paris Protocol governing economic ties between the two sides, a minister said yesterday.
“I made a request to the Israeli government through the defense ministry... that the Palestinian Authority officially requests the reopening of the Paris Protocol which is not compatible with the current economic situation,” said civil affairs minister Hussein Al-Sheikh.
Sheikh said he had been advised by Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas to push through the request, which comes as the Palestinian Authority is struggling to handle a growing wave of social unrest over the spiralling cost of living.
“The president told me as head of civilian affairs to give the Israelis an official request to reopen the Paris Protocol — to re-examine it, to adjust it and to change it as soon as possible,” he explained.
“We are waiting for the Israeli response and if they approve, a committee will be formed from the negotiations department and other specialized groups to start discussing the changes.”
There was no immediate comment from the Israeli defense ministry.
The Paris Protocol was a framework set up in 1994 which laid out the terms for the economic relations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority.