The Change and Reform parliamentary bloc slammed the Palestinian Authority (PA) for suspending the salaries of 47 MPs in the occupied West Bank.

   The Palestinian Finance Ministry said the suspension emanated from a technical problem in the salary system, pledging to disburse the MPs’ salaries on Monday.

   Director-general of the salaries at the Finance Ministry, Abdul Jabar Salem, said reports on the suspension of MPs’ salaries are groundless.

   The Change and Reform Bloc said the suspension of the salaries of Hamas MPs in the West Bank comes ten years after a similar measure was taken against Hamas MPs in Gaza, in 2007.

   On Sunday, the PA suspended the salaries of 270 Palestinian ex-prisoners and reduced 30% of the salaries of the PA staff members in Gaza.

   Recently, the US and Israel have reportedly pressurized the PA to resume peace talks and freeze the prisoners’ salaries.