The West Bank's government is running out of money and could collapse, which would be bad for Palestinians and could spark chaos right on Israel's border.

• The Palestinian Authority, which runs the West Bank, is nearly broke, and its economy has shrunk sharply since late 2023 with unemployment above 30%.
• Israel collects taxes on the PA's behalf and is supposed to hand the money over, but the far-right finance minister Smotrich cut off the transfers over a year ago and hasn't sent a cent.
• Hardliners like Smotrich want the PA gone so Israel can annex most of the West Bank, while even Netanyahu and Israel's own security services fear a collapse would unleash chaos.
• The PA pays 30,000 armed security men who help keep order; if their pay dries up, Israel could face an armed force on its doorstep.
• Arab and Western donors have pulled back too, fed up with the PA's deep corruption and its 90-year-old leader Abbas, who hasn't held an election in 20 years.

Outlook: The PA will likely keep limping along on emergency scraps, but nobody has a plan for what happens if it finally gives out.