Palestinian Authority official Hussein al-Sheikh says ‘any deductions from our monetary rights’ can be rejected.
Taxes collected by Israel and sure for Gaza can be held in Norway, as an alternative of being despatched to the Palestinian Authority (PA), which workouts restricted self-rule within the Israeli-occupied West Financial institution, in line with a plan accredited by Israeli officers.
“The frozen funds is not going to be transferred to the Palestinian Authority, however will stay within the palms of a 3rd nation,” mentioned a press release launched on Sunday by the Israeli prime minister’s workplace.
“The cash or its consideration is not going to be transferred underneath any circumstances, besides with the approval of the Minister of Finance of Israel, not even by means of a 3rd get together,” it mentioned.
Consistent with a deal reached within the Nineties, Israel collects tax on behalf of the Palestinians and makes month-to-month transfers to the PA pending the approval of the Ministry of Finance.
Whereas the PA was ousted from the strip in 2007, a lot of its public sector staff within the enclave stored their jobs and continued to be paid with transferred tax revenues.
However practically a month after the October 7 assault – when Hamas fighters launched an unprecedented assault into southern Israel killing at the very least 1,139 folks, in line with an Al Jazeera tally primarily based on Israeli statistics, and taking about 240 captives – Israeli authorities determined to withhold funds earmarked for the Gaza Strip.
In response to the cash deduction, the PA refused to simply accept a partial switch of cash.
“Any deductions from our monetary rights or any circumstances imposed by Israel that forestall the PA from paying our folks within the Gaza Strip are rejected by us,” mentioned senior PA official Hussein al-Sheikh on X.
“We name on the worldwide neighborhood to cease this habits primarily based on piracy and stealing the cash of the Palestinian folks and pressure Israel to switch all of our cash,” he added.
Nour Odeh, a political analyst primarily based in Ramallah within the occupied West Financial institution, mentioned Israel was utilizing its leverage over the tax revenues to “punish” and “weaken” the PA.
“It’s a method for Israel to claim how a lot management it has on every thing, together with the PA’s capability to perform. It’s not clear if the PA can be keen to simply accept circumstances, as a result of it might be humiliating to stroll again its pledge to not take the revenues with the deduction of Gaza’s share of it,” she instructed Al Jazeera.
“[WIthholding the revenues] may have a huge effect as a result of these employed by the PA received’t obtain their salaries at a time when many are ravenous resulting from Israel’s siege and warfare – folks want that cash to outlive.”
Far-right Israeli Nationwide Safety Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir was the one member of the federal government to oppose the plan to ship the funds to Norway.
Ben-Gvir mentioned the plan doesn’t assure that the cash received’t be transferred to Gaza.
“Final week they began transferring flour vehicles and now they’re making a call that doesn’t assure that the cash is not going to attain the Nazis from Gaza,” the far-right chief mentioned on X, including that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was “consistently” transferring “the pink line”.
The problem has been a supply of friction inside the Israeli warfare cupboard, with Protection Minister Yoav Gallant calling for the funds to be distributed to take care of stability within the occupied West Financial institution.
Violence there has spiked because the begin of the warfare amid practically every day raids and mass arrest campaigns in cities and villages by Israeli forces.
Since then, at the very least 319 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces or settlers, in line with UN figures, and greater than 6,000 have been arrested, in line with the Palestinian Prisoner’s Society advocacy group.
