The Israeli government will take millions of euros from the taxes due to the Palestinians and promises measures against Ramallah officials.
by Clothilde Mraffko (Jerusalem, Correspondence)
The Palestinian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Riyad Al-Maliki, returned from a visit to Brazil on Sunday January 8, when he was held thirty minutes at the Israeli border post with Jordan, the sole gateway to the Palestinians Towards the occupied West Bank. The customs officials of the Hebrew state then informed her that her VIP license, which facilitates his entries and exits, had been withdrawn. The measure is part of a series of sanctions adopted by the Israeli security firm last week against the Palestinian Authority (AP), based in Ramallah.
The government of Benyamin Netanyahu did not appreciate that the Palestinians had a resolution at the UN General Assembly on December 30222, which asked the International Court of Justice to look at the legality of Israeli occupation. The text, not binding, also claims that Israel ends colonization in the occupied territories; It was approved by 87 states-France has abstained.
The AP decided “to launch a political and legal war against the State of Israel. This government will not remain their arms crossed,” the Prime Minister’s office replied in a statement published on January 6 . He details several measures there, including the withdrawal of VIP permits to certain Palestinian officials and a moratorium on Palestinian constructions, already largely limited, in zone C, which represents 60 % of the West Bank.
The Israeli Ministry of Finance will also punctuate money on taxes and customs income that Israel takes on behalf of the Ramallah authorities, the AP not having control over its borders. Some 139 million shekels (37 million euros) will thus be donated to fifteen Israeli families from victims of Palestinian attacks. In addition to this, the Hebrew State should reserve several tens of millions of shekels – the exact amount has not been specified – supposed to correspond to the equivalent of the subsidies that the AP pays to the Palestinian prisoners in Israel and to their families.
“A collective punishment”
These sanctions “are intended to bring down [Palestinian] authority, to push it financially and institutional,” Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayyyeh convicted during the Council of Ministers on January 9 . Hamas prompted the AD to “do not give in”. In reality, Israel regularly punctuates part of the taxes and customs duties that he owes to the Palestinians since 2019. According to the calculations of the Palestinian Government Head, the Hebrew State has thus retained some $ 570 million (531 million euros ) For three years, a sum supposed to correspond to the amount of payments to Palestinian prisoners.
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