Palestinians who have injuries caused by Israeli forces have continued for a full week a sit-in on the pavement opposite the cabinet headquarters in Ramallah, in the occupied West Bank, in protest against the suspension of their government payments and the transfer of their files to the Tamkeen Foundation. Mats, blankets and basic living supplies were spread at the protest site, alongside crutches and wheelchairs, while the protesters say they are committed to remaining until their demands are met.
The wounded decided to remain in front of the cabinet headquarters in Ramallah until their payments are restored, before Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas issued a decision cancelling the system of stipends for prisoners, wounded people and families of martyrs and transferring it to the Tamkeen Foundation, which deals with social cases.
The protesters have placed a large banner reading, "Where is the president's decision to uphold the rights of the wounded ? Our martyrs, wounded and prisoners, are a struggle case, not a social case."
Around 40 people with chronic wounds took part in the protest, while the number present outside the Cabinet headquarters varies depending on individual circumstances.
Families of martyrs have also shown support by attending at different times, saying the cause is shared.
The protesters sometimes took shelter from the sun under a tree, a nearby shop or a wall before returning to the main gathering point when journalists, supporting delegations, or official figures arrived to speak with them.
They tell The New Arab they are determined to remain until their issue is resolved.
In this context, Murad Shamroukh, from Bethlehem in the southern occupied West Bank, told The New Arab that "the protesters have submitted their demands several times to the Cabinet, without any response, which pushed them to stage the sit-in amid a lack of any move to resolve the crisis."
He said the main demand is not limited to the salary itself but to return the file entirely to the Organisation of Liberation of Palestine-affiliated Institution for the Care of the Families of Martyrs and Wounded, not the Tamkeen Foundation, as they reject being treated as poor or needy families.
The protesters also demand improved medical services provided by the Ministry of Health , Shamroukh said, following previous promises that were not implemented.
He added that medical tools and support devices for the wounded had been reduced.
He also criticised Palestinian leadership and the Fatah movement's Eighth Conference, pointing to what he described as a lack of real action from parties that publicly speak in support of the wounded and martyrs.
Shamroukh strongly rejected keeping the file under the Tamkeen Foundation, saying it treats them as social or humanitarian cases, lacking any context and understanding.
He stressed that the wounds are a result of the Israeli occupation and not social or personal circumstances, and that they have a legal right to these stipends.
Protesters also criticise the way the Tamkeen Foundation operates, including the form they were required to fill out after the transfer of prisoners', wounded people's and martyrs’ families’ files to it.
Shamroukh said the questions included the type of food a person eats and whether they have a fridge or washing machine at home, describing them as "absurd".
Mohammed Shuhada, from Balata refugee camp in Nablus in the northern occupied West Bank, said the Ramallah sit-in defends the payments to the wounded, martyrs' families and prisoners altogether.
He repeated that the main demand is to return the salary file from the Tamkeen Foundation to the Institution for the Care of the Families of Martyrs and the Wounded, saying, "We do not want the Tamkeen Foundation, which takes unfair decisions and treats us as social cases. We are national cases and war victims. We were not injured because of a dispute or fight, but because of the occupation and defending the homeland."
Shuhada said the amounts paid to the wounded were very low and do not preserve dignity, noting that he received 250 shekels ($85), while the previous stipend for a wounded person was about 1,800 shekels ($615).
He also called for the dismissal of Ahmad Majdalani, head of the Tamkeen Foundation, saying, "He does not represent us."
Asked how long the sit-in would continue, he said, "We will remain here, God willing, until we die or our stipends are paid, because I will not return to my child empty-handed."
Families of martyrs are expected to stage solidarity sit-ins in the coming days in front of the Cabinet headquarters to pressure for a resolution to the salary crisis.
The stipends were cut three months after Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas issued a presidential decree transferring payments for Palestinian prisoners, wounded people and families of martyrs from the Palestinian Authority to the Palestinian National Economic Empowerment Institution.
The decree cancels provisions in laws and regulations related to the system of financial payments to families of prisoners, martyrs and wounded people, whether in the prisoners' law or regulations issued by the Cabinet and the Palestine Liberation Organisation.
It also transfers the computerised cash assistance programme, its database, and its local and international financial allocations from the Ministry of Social Development to the Palestinian National Economic Empowerment Institution.
The Administrative Court ruled in the first week of this month to restore the salary of a detained minor whose stipend had been cut.
The Independent Commission for Human Rights, which represented prisoner Ahmad Firas Hassan and filed an appeal on his behalf before the Administrative Court, said it was counting on the ruling to resolve the issue of cutting stipends for 1,600 other prisoners, pending the end of the legal period available to the prosecution to appeal, to determine how the Palestinian government will deal with the court ruling. Article translated from Arabic by Afrah Almatwari. To read the original, click here .