External and Domestic Debt in Palestine in 2019

From the Ministry of Finance statistics for August 2019
- Arrears of debt owed to the government, closing balance at the end of 2018 and earlier ..amounted to 2.810 million sheqel (two billion and eight hundred and ten million sheqel)...and this balance became at the end of August 2019 the amount of 1.962 million sheqel (one billion and nine hundred and sixty-two million sheqel)..where a portion of this previous arrears balance was repaid during the first eight months of 2019.

As for the total cumulative arrears in this year up to the end of August 2019, they amounted to 3.342 million sheqel (three billion and three hundred and forty-two million sheqel)..including private sector arrears which amounted to 1.082 million sheqel..and other arrears amounted to 2.261 million sheqel...I was not able to determine the components of this "other" item – but I suspect that one of them is a debt of the Pension and Retirement Fund..(possible..)..
As for the net cumulative arrears for past and current (periods) up to 31-8-2019, they amounted to 5.305 million sheqel (five billion and three hundred and five million sheqel)..and this figure gives rise to general alarm about public funds..and the activity of the private sector...!

·       Comparison with August 2018

As for arrears in August 2018...by comparison. The net cumulative arrears in August 2018 amounted to 2.8 billion sheqel..while arrears due at the end of 2017 and earlier amounted to 2 billion sheqel, of which the private sector accounted for 1.5 billion..and these arrears for prior years became by 8/2018 the amount of 1.3 billion sheqel after sums of these prior-year arrears were repaid..as for arrears in 2018 in August..they amounted to 1.5 billion sheqel of which the private sector was 892 million sheqel...
The expenditures by item and responsibility center – commitment basis – in this year up to 31-8-2019, were as follows: General Administration: 63 million sheqel, compared with 72 million sheqel in August 2018... Public Order and Safety: 296 million sheqel, compared with 293 million for the same month in 2018... Financial Affairs: 256 million sheqel, compared with 250 million sheqel for the same month in 2018.... Social Services: 604 million sheqel compared with 645 million sheqel for the same month in 2018....so the total expenditures during these eight months this year – i.e., up to the end of August 2019 – amounted to 1,310 million sheqel... (Table No. 5 A) compared with 1.366 million sheqel for the same month in 2018...

The total public debt up to the end of August 2019 amounted to 10.879 billion sheqel..approximately of which the domestic debt amounted to about 6.949 billion sheqel, including bank loans of 3.769 billion sheqel, and banking facilities amounting to approximately 1.565 billion...and loans of the Petroleum Authority 1.564 million sheqel..while the external public debt up to the end of August 2019 amounted to 3.929 billion sheqel...

As for comparison with the same month of 2018, the total public debt amounted to 8.641 billion sheqel of which 4.89 billion was domestic debt including 2.383 billion bank loans and banking facilities amounting to 1.52 billion sheqel..as for loans of the Petroleum Authority in August 2018 they amounted to 897 million sheqel while the external debt in August 2018 amounted to 3.882 billion sheqel ...and you can compare..between the two periods...