Ramallah accuses Israel of deducting, misusing money belonging to Palestine

RAMALLAH, Palestine (AA) – Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh has accused Israel of seeking to undermine the Palestinian Authority by deducting money belonging to Palestine.

In statements during a Cabinet meeting in Ramallah city, Shtayyeh said the Israeli acts of “piracy, looting, and vengeance” will not discourage the Palestinian leadership from “their political, diplomatic and legal struggle.”

“We do not barter our rights to self-determination and our freedom for money or privileges,” Shtayyeh stressed.

The premier said that Israel has deducted nearly 2 billion Israeli shekels ($571 million) from Palestinian money between 2019 and 2022.

Shtayyeh appealed to the Arab countries to implement decisions taken by the Arab summits to activate a financial safety net for Palestine.

Earlier on Friday, the Israeli government had imposed further financial sanctions on the Palestinian Authority, including further deductions from Palestinian money. The move was in response to seeking the opinion of the International Court of Justice on the nature of the decades-long Israeli occupation.

The Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority was unable to pay more than 80% of the salary for the public sector over the past year due to Israeli deductions from the Palestinian taxes.

The tax revenues — known in Palestine and Israel as ‘maqasa’ — are collected by the Israeli government on behalf of the Palestinian Authority on Palestinian imports and exports. Israel in return earns a commission of 3% of collected revenues.

The tax revenues collected are estimated at around $30-33 million every month, for which tax revenues represent the main source of income for the Palestinian Authority.