Israel’s safety cupboard on Sunday withheld practically USD 200 million in tax transfers to Palestinians, representing the sum of money transferred by Palestinians to the households of alleged attackers final 12 months.
Under interim peace agreements, Israel collects lots of of hundreds of thousands of {dollars} in taxes for the internationally acknowledged Palestinian Authority. Tax transfers are a significant supply of funding for cash-strapped Palestinians.
Israel has lengthy objected to the Palestinian “martyr fund”, which gives stipends to hundreds of households whose family members have been killed, injured or imprisoned in battle with Israel.
Palestinians say the funds are a sort of welfare system aimed toward serving to households affected by battle. But Israel says such funds function rewards and incentives for violence.
In its choice, the Security Cabinet authorized a advice by Defense Minister Benny Gantz to freeze some 597 million shekels – or about USD 180 million – in what he calls “indirect support of terrorism” in 2020. It stated the funds could be pooled on one. Monthly foundation of funds that Israel transfers to Palestinians.
For Palestinians, the households of the attackers are extensively seen as victims of half a century of Israeli occupation. Palestinians say that many Palestinians have been wrongfully captured by Israel and that the variety of prisoners concerned within the lethal assaults is a small proportion of these aided by the fund.
The head of the Palestinian Commission for Detainees Affairs, Qadri Abu Bakr, accused Israel of stealing Palestinian funds, calling the choice a “crime and theft”.
The official Palestinian information company Wafa stated President Mahmoud Abbas had a phone dialog with Israel’s new President Isaac Herzog on Sunday.
It stated Abbas referred to as for “comprehensive peace” in Gaza, the West Bank and Jerusalem, and referred to as for steps that might create the circumstances for “achieving a just and comprehensive peace”.
The assertion made no point out of frozen tax transfers.
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With inputs from TheIndianEXPRESS
