Defense Minister Gantz Meets PA Leader Abbas In Rosh Ha’ayin, Promises Fiscal Aid And Other Concessions

JERUSALEM (VINnews) — Defense Minister Benny Gantz met with PA chairman Mahmoud Abbas at his home in Rosh Ha’ayin Tuesday night. The meeting was notable as it is the first time in over a decade that Abbas has met with a senior-level Israeli official inside Israel. Gantz announced after the meeting that Israel would provide the PA with a 100 million NIS ($32.2 million) loan against tax revenues which Israel collects for the Palestinians. The PA’s deficit has grown significantly after foreign aid was reduced in the wake of revelations of Palestinian pay-for-slay payments to terrorist families.

In August Gantz met with Abbas and Israel agreed then to provide an advance on tax payments of 500 million NIS in order to prevent the PA’s fiscal crisis from getting out of hand.

At the same time Gantz agreed to legalize the status of 9,500 undocumented Palestinians living in the West Bank and Gaza. These persons arrived from abroad to marry Palestinians but Israel does not recognize their right to live in Judea, Samaria and Gaza and marry local Palestinians, thus receiving Palestinian citizenship.

At the same time many Palestinian officials will receive VIP permits to traverse Israel freely and 1100 Palestinian businessmen will  receive commercial passes.

Gantz also allegedly told Abbas that a series of economic measures are being weighed, including lowering fees for purchasing fuel and a pilot program to allow shipping containers to enter the West Bank from Jordan via Allenby Bridge.

Such steps “would likely add hundreds of millions of shekels to the Palestinian Authority on an annual basis,” said Gantz, according to the official.

Gantz also discussed legalizing more Palestinian construction in Judea and Samaria, some of which would take place in areas with full Israeli administrative control.

Prime Minister  Naftali Bennett reportedly criticized Gantz’s meeting with Abbas and expressed his concern about it taking place in Gantz’s home. Other ministers said that Gantz’s behavior “does not add to the government’s stability.” Bennett opposes renewing peace negotiations and has refused in the past to meet with Abbas.

Gantz however has said he sees Abbas’s regime as the only alternative to an empowered Hamas in the West Bank.

“If the Palestinian Authority is stronger, Hamas will be weaker. When the Palestinian Authority has more ability to enforce order, there will be more security” Gantz said in late August.

Journalist Erez Tzadok wrote that “on the way to the meeting with Gantz in Rosh Ha’ayin or on the way back, Abbas approved the direct debit for thousands of shekels a month to be given to the murderers of Yehuda Dimentman HyD.”