Israel Responds to Move to Recognize Palestinian State by Withholding Funds
Israel Responds to Move to Recognize Palestinian State by Withholding Funds
The finance minister’s office signaled that the decision, which could worsen the Palestinians’ dire economic crisis, was a response to Spain, Norway and Ireland recognizing Palestinian statehood.
Israel will not transfer much-needed funds to the Palestinian Authority in the wake of the decision by three European countries to recognize a Palestinian state, the country’s finance minister said on Wednesday, as its foreign minister denounced the European moves as giving “a gold medal to Hamas terrorists.”
The decision by the finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, a far-right leader who opposes Palestinian sovereignty, threatened to push the Palestinian government into a deeper fiscal crisis. He said in a statement that he had informed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he would no longer send tax revenues to the authority, which administers parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank in close cooperation with Israel.
Mr. Smotrich’s office signaled that the decision was at least partly a response to Spain, Norway and Ireland recognizing Palestinian statehood, and that the Palestinian leadership bore responsibility for campaigning for the move.
So in addition to all the other forms of control, Israel collects and can restrict Palestinian taxes. Tell me again, Israeli propagandists, how Israel doesn't actually occupy what is rightfully internationally known as Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT).
It's not an Apartheid because anyone calling it an Apartheid is worse than Hitler - Ben Gvir.
And some will still have the audacity to say that palestine is not colonized
As if they wouldn't have done this shit anyways.
The US will just send the money to Palestine instead of Israel now, right?
My guess is: not for several years, and then it will be part of an incredibly expensive reparations deal to rebuild what American munitions are currently destroying.
But don't you see? The reparations will be done by American companies, owned by American shareholders. And they will put infrastructure into place operated by American companies. And American companies will help to uhh develop the countries resource extraction in particular Gas in the Mediterranean Sea.
Think of all the money that will go from your tax payments straight back to some rich Americans!
If Congress allowed it, perhaps (they have to okay budgets). But Congress is full of GOP and center-right democrats that would rather give more money and weapons to Israel instead. So good luck with that.
Personally, I don't understand why the US government has continued to fun Israel when it's clearly failed to become a disaster. They've spent over $250 Billion on Israel aid, and it's failed.
(adding to the reasons people already cited: Israel is where the us launches its imperialist attacks on the middle east from, so they have a strategic reason to keep it around)
This is the best summary I could come up with:
He said in a statement that he had informed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he would no longer send tax revenues to the authority, which administers parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank in close cooperation with Israel.
Mohammad Mustafa, the recently inaugurated Palestinian Authority prime minister, warned that the dire fiscal situation was contributing to a “very serious moment” in the West Bank, which has faced increasing unrest since the Hamas-led Oct. 7 attacks on Israel.
The Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority is already in a severe financial crisis following tightened Israeli restrictions on its funding and a depressed West Bank economy stemming from the war.
Top Israeli officials, including Mr. Netanyahu, have repeatedly excoriated international recognition of a Palestinian state as a “prize for terrorism” after the Oct. 7 attack.
Most of the current hard-line Israeli government rejects the establishment of an independent Palestinian state, practically ruling out peace talks to end Israel’s decades-long occupation.
President Biden and Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken have said that after the war, Gaza should be unified with the West Bank under a “revitalized” Palestinian Authority.
The original article contains 919 words, the summary contains 182 words. Saved 80%. I'm a bot and I'm open source!
As far as I can tell, Israel does not actually collect money from people living in Gaza or the West Bank. The local governments of those places collect taxes themselves.
Israel taxes imports into Israel, and made a deal with PLO in 1994 to gift them some of that revenue. That deal expired in 1999, but until now Israel kept giving them free money anyway.
Edit: I tracked down a copy of the actual relevant agreement, and it definitely is money collected from Palestinians and on purchases made in Palestine on products that are brought into Palestine. Discussion a few comments down if interested.
I'm not sure if they collect all taxes, but according to the article they do collect at least some (and a meaningful amount):
"Under decades-old agreements, Israel collects customs and import taxes on behalf of the Palestinian Authority. Those revenues constitute most of the Palestinian budget, particularly as international aid has declined. "