Israel “loaned” the Palestinian Authority hundreds of millions of shekels that were supposed to be deducted, by law, from the taxes and customs collected on behalf of the Palestinian Authority to avoid having this money go to jailed terrorists’ salaries, Palestinian Media Watch reported. The report is based on the analysis of an official report the PA sent to Western countries.
According to the report by PalWatch legal head Attorney Maurice Hirsch, last September, shortly after the August meeting in Ramallah between Defense Minister Benny Gantz and PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, Israel transferred NIS 500 million ($170 million) to the PA in addition to the taxes and customs Israel collects and transfers every month.
Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories argued that the NIS 500 million is a loan based on future collections, so, in a way, the half-billion shekels did not come “from the public coffers of the Israeli taxpayer.” That’s not true, the loan certainly did come from the Israeli taxpayer, even if it will be paid back someday.
But worse, the loan violated the 2018 Freeze Terrorist Funds Act. Also, Gantz was apparently extremely generous with promises of future Arab construction in Area C. And he also reportedly gave his consent to installing G4 communications inside the PA.
Where is Gantz’s concern for Jews in Judea and Samaria who still live under Ottoman law? What does Gantz hope to accomplish by caving in to terrorists? PMW’s report is yet another in a series exposing Bennett’s coalition bestowing gifts to the PA Arabs and this leaves us deeply concerned for Israel.