Angry teachers storm the education ministry building in Ramallah

Monday April 30, 2007 13:40 by Ghassan Bannoura - IMEMC & Agencies

Scores of angry teachers stormed the ministry of information building located in the central West Bank city of Ramallah on Monday midday.

The teachers stormed the building when the education minister Dr. Nasser Al Deen Sha'er refused to meet with the striking teachers who had organized a protest in front of the education ministry building in Ramallah. The protesters stormed the ministry's offices then tried to get in the minister's office chanting anti Palestinian government slogans and demanding their overdue salaries.

The Palestinian teachers started a general strike on Monday after the Palestinian government was not able to pay their overdue salaries. The public schools' teachers union called for this strike on Sunday after the Palestinian government did not pay the overdue salaries as stated in the agreement reached with the teachers union several month ago to end the six month strike.

The civil servant employees' union announced on Monday that it's members will implement a general strike starting from this coming Wednesday. The Palestinian Authority has not been able to pay its employees since the USA, EU and Israel decided to impose an economic embargo on the Palestinian people shortly after Hamas won the parliamentary elections in January 2006.

ramallah | internal unrest | news report ghassanb at imemc dot org