Thousands of Palestinians in the occupied West Bank join a strike against their government’s proposed new social security law, fearing the fund will be mismanaged.
The strike, which sees much of Ramallah, Hebron and other Palestinian cities closed, comes hours before Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas is due to address the United Nations.
A few thousand people protest outside the Social Security Corporation in Ramallah, where Abbas’s government is based.
Under the proposed system, both private employers and their employees will pay monthly into a government-managed fund, with employees receiving a pension when they retire.
The government says it will provide new security for employees, arguing similar systems exist in countries across the globe.
Protesters say they do not trust the Palestinian government to manage the fund and point out there are no guarantees.
— AFP
Help us report truthfully on social media
As a multimedia journalist, my job is to take the quality, fact-based journalism produced by The Times of Israel newsroom and make it accessible across every platform — from Instagram posts to podcasts to short-form videos.
This is how many, especially young people, consume news these days. But misinformation is rampant on social media. Our team at ToI produces accurate, responsible short-form reporting on Israel and the Jewish world.
If you believe in the importance of factual social media journalism, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to sustain responsible multimedia reporting.
— Gabriella Jacobs, multimedia journalist
Support our work
Support our work
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
You're a dedicated reader
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
Join Our Community
Join Our Community
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, January 15, 2019
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
