JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel’s Security Cabinet on Sunday froze nearly $200 million in tax transfers to the Palestinians that it said represented the amount of money the Palestinians transferred to the families of alleged attackers last year.
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Under interim peace agreements, Israel collects hundreds of millions of dollars in taxes for the internationally recognized Palestinian Authority. The tax transfers are a key source of funding for the cash-strapped Palestinians.
Israel has long objected to the Palestinian “martyrs fund,” which provides stipends to thousands of families that have had relatives killed, wounded or imprisoned in the conflict with Israel.
The Palestinians say the payments are a type of welfare system meant to assist families affected by the conflict. But Israel says such payments serve as rewards and incentives for violence.
In its decision, the Security Cabinet approved a recommendation by Defense Minister Benny Gantz to freeze some 597 million shekels — or roughly $180 million — for what it called “indirect support of terrorism” in 2020. It said the funds will be frozen on a monthly basis out of payments that Israel transfers to the Palestinians.
That money should be spent immediately, not held in escrow to wait for Biden and his ilk to twist the arms of Israel. I would say that it should compensate the victims of terror. There is a huge amount of financial loss, and this excludes any effort to apply a monetary value to lives lost or injuries. If the WH says anything, just promise that strategic secrets from the Middle East can be withheld. Threats can go both ways. Not sure if Biden has enough cognition left to comprehend that. But his anti-Israel staff might.