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Tuesday, March 31, 2015
Palestinian Cabinet Rejects Israel deducting $75 million from Tax Revenues to cover current unpaid Palestinian bills

[Dr. Aaron Lerner - IMRA: The Palestinians owe over a billion shekels to
Israel Electric and many millions to Israeli hospitals. etc. The deduction
doesn't reduce the past mountain of debt - it just current bills so that the
mountain doesn't get any larger.]
Cabinet Rejects Israeli Unilateral Deduction of PA’s Tax Revenues
http://english.wafa.ps/index.php?action=detail&id=28197

RAMALLAH, March 31, 2015 (WAFA - PLO news agency) – The Palestinian cabinet,
in its weekly session Tuesday, rejected Israel’s unilateral decision to
transfer the Palestinian Authority’s tax revenues after deducting almost 300
million shekels ($75 million).

The cabinet reiterated its utmost rejection to Israel’s repeated act of
withholding PA’s tax revenues and deducting 300 million shekels, describing
it as a premeditated crime, a collective punishment against Palestinians,
and a blatant violation of previously agreed upon agreements and
international resolutions.

It urged the international community to pressure Israel to release the
entire sum, and to put an end to this illegal action.

Israel’s decision to deduct millions of shekels from Palestinians came under
the pretext of paying for accumulated debts for services provided to the
Palestinian population, including electricity, water and hospital bills.

However on March 27, Israel decided to release hundreds of millions of
dollars in Palestinian tax revenues, which has been withheld since last
January following PA’s accession to the International Criminal Court.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s approved the recommendation of
his Defense Minister, Moshe Yaalon, and of the Israeli military and Shin Bet
internal security agency to transfer the withheld funds. Netanyahu explained
that the decision came, “based on humanitarian concerns and in overall
consideration of Israel’s interests at this time.”

In the meantime, the Palestinian Finance Ministry stated that the deductions
made by Israel to cover services provided to the Palestinians haven’t been
bilaterally discussed or ‘agreed upon’ and constitute ‘an unjustified and
illegal procedure that could cause complications’.

The ministry affirmed that transferring the tax revenues is not a favor done
by the Israeli government and that the Palestinian government rejects any
unilateral deductions outside the appropriate calculation mechanism.

Israel has frequently resorted to halting the transfer of Palestinian tax
revenues and exploited it as a political instrument intended to punish the
Palestinians for their political choices and attempts to secure the
establishment of their state through international diplomatic means.

As a result of the Israeli measure, the PA has been incapacitated from fully
paying approximately 170,000 public servants on its payroll, which costs
between $160 and $170 million a month.

Under the Protocol on Economic Relations signed in 1994, Israel transfers
$127 (175) to PA each month in customs duties levied on goods destined for
Palestinian markets that transit through international borders.

Acting to address the financial crisis it is gripped with, the PA has
borrowed from local banks to partially pay 60% of the public servants’,
December, January and February wages.

Meanwhile, the cabinet expressed its gratitude to all efforts exerted by
various countries to get Israel to release its frozen revenues.

It further praised the adoption of three UNHRC resolutions regarding the
occupied State of Palestine during the 28th regular session of the Human
Rights Council early March.

To be noted, the United States was the only UNHRC member that voted against
the three resolutions.

Meanwhile, PLO executive committee member Hanan Ashrawi, commented on US’s
opposition to the three resolutions, stating that, “Rather than acting in
accordance with international law, democracy and human rights, the US made
the decision to isolate itself at the expense of Palestinian rights, lives
and lands.”

The cabinet further discussed all efforts exerted by the Palestinian
government to accelerate the reconstruction process in Gaza, as well as
efforts to end the Israeli blockade on the strip.

T.R/M.H

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