Once more, the Israeli government has decided to withhold tens of millions of dollars in tax revenues, collected on behalf of the Palestinian Authority to prevent it from supporting families of Palestinians killed or wounded by the Israeli army.
The Palestinian Authority’s determination to acquire greater international recognition is juxtaposed with utter laxity and disinterest in developing a unified national strategy in Palestine itself ..
Ramzy Baroud – Arab News. https://t.co/3bdfMR0t6z
— Ramzy Baroud (@RamzyBaroud) January 21, 2019
Reuters news agency reported on Monday that the Israeli government of right-wing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will not hand over nearly $43 million in Palestinian taxes over the PA’s “financial support for the families of slain or wounded Palestinian” activists.
The Israeli government had withheld hundreds of millions of dollars from the Palestinian budget in the past in order for Tel Aviv to force Mahmoud Abbas’ Authority to toe the Israeli line. In February, Tel Aviv confiscated PA funds citing Palestinian government’s support for prisoners and their families.
The total amount of money kept by Israel now equals some 6.8 percent of tax funds owed to the Palestinian Authority. #IsraelCrimes https://t.co/F1UuEmxt6k
— teleSUR English (@telesurenglish) December 30, 2019
Under the Oslo agreement, Israel is responsible for collecting taxes on behalf of the Palestinian Authority, the current sum of which, according to Reuters, is estimated at $222 million a month.
In a meeting with members of his ruling Fatah party, PA President Abbas admitted that the Israeli decision “will cost us a lot.” “But we have rights and we will not be afraid,” he added.
(The Palestine Chronicle)
