Palestinian police demand pay

KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip – In the first major sign of discontent with the Hamas-led government, dozens of masked Palestinian policemen blocked a main road in the Gaza Strip on Saturday and briefly seized a government building to protest a delay in paying their salaries.

The outburst reflected a growing sense of desperation in the streets of Gaza as already impoverished Palestinians start feeling the sting of the new government’s economic isolation.

Western nations have cut off aid to the cash-starved Palestinian Authority, demanding that the militant group leading it renounce violence and recognize Israel’s right to exist. Israel has halted the monthly transfer of about $55 million in taxes it collects on behalf of the Palestinians.

The U.S. government also has barred Americans from most business dealings with the Palestinian government. Hamas, which is listed as a terrorist group by the United States and European Union, is responsible for scores of suicide bombings and other attacks on Israelis in recent years.

Russia, however, has pledged an unspecified amount of urgent financial assistance to the Hamas-led government, Moscow said late Friday.

With its coffers empty, the Palestinian government already is two weeks late in paying March salaries for its 140,000 employees, and it is unclear when it will have the needed funds.