ens of thousands of Palestinian government employees who have not been paid in months went on strike Saturday, as Robert Burger reports from VOA's Jerusalem bureau, the labor unrest poses a major challenge to the Palestinian government led by the Islamic militant group Hamas.
Some 37,000 unpaid Palestinian teachers went on strike across the West Bank and Gaza Strip on the first day of the school year. They were joined by 40,000 civil servants who walked off the job shutting down government offices and services. Garbage collectors went on strike earlier this week and amounts of trash rotting on the streets have left a rancid stench in the air. The strike is aimed at the Hamas-led Palestinian government which has been unable to pay most salaries since it took power 5 months ago. Hamas has broken the wake of international sanctions imposed because of its refusal to recognize Israel and renounce violence. The United States and European Union consider Hamas a terrorist organization. Robert Burger for VOA news Jerusalem.