Al-Istiqlal Center for Strategic Studies held a special seminar on the current financial situation of the State of Palestine, entitled "Piracy of the Palestinian Tax Funds - The Challenge of Present and Future Alternatives", presented by the economic expert Mr. Mossaif Jamil, on Sunday 24th of March 2019.
Prof. Dr. Saleh Abu Osbaa, the President of the University, participated in the seminar in the presence of Dr. Rajaa Sweidan, his deputy for Administrative and Financial Affairs, a number of Deans of Faculties and the Department’s heads and Academics, in the meeting hall of the Administrative Sciences Faculty.
Furthermore, Prof. Dr. Abu Osbaa stressed that the state institutions are suffering from the different difficulties on the financial level and Al-Istiqlal University is part of them, mentioning the importance of the steadfastness at this stage and studying the situation in all aspects, thanking the organizers of this symposium for their efforts.
For his part, Dr. Mohammed Ishtaya, the Director of Al-Istiqlal Center for Strategic Studies, said that the aim of the seminar is to assess the current situation, regarding the piracy of the occupation of the Palestinian tax funds, and the need to find future alternatives to meet the current economic conditions in the long term, clarifying that this meeting constitutes the nucleus for a wider scientific conference and with participation of economic specialists and researchers.
Moreover, Mr. Mossaif Jamil, the economic expert from the Palestine Economic Policy Research Institute (MAS), gave a description about the tax funds and the economic relationship with the state of occupation, noting the need to stop dealing with the Paris Economic Convention for disengaging the Palestinian economy from the Israeli occupation.
Also, Mr. Jamil asked for reconsidering the Palestinian tax system, ending the tax evasion, strengthening supervision of the local economic development as an alternative and enhancing the Arab economic depth through agreements signed with the Arab countries.
It is noteworthy to mention that Al-Istiqlal Center for Strategic Studies organizes a number of seminars with political and scientific meetings throughout the semester about the Palestinian cause and the developments of its conditions.