PLO Chief Negotiator: Israeli decision to cut tax monies is “part of the Israeli-American plan to destroy the PA… Those carrying out normalization with Israel are sticking a knife in the back of the [Palestinian] people”
Headline: “Erekat: Israel and the US are planning to destroy the PA”
“PLO Executive Committee Secretary Saeb Erekat said yesterday [Feb. 17, 2019]: ‘The deduction of the salaries of the prisoners and Martyrs’ (Shahids’) families from the tax money (refers to Israeli law deducting terrorist salaries from PA tax money; see note below –Ed.), which Israel intends to carry out, is part of the Israeli-American plan to destroy the PA, in parallel with disconnecting the Gaza Strip from the West Bank. This plan is the “deal of the century” (refers to US President Donald Trump’s as yet unpublished Middle East peace plan –Ed.).’
In statements that he gave to [the official PA] radio [station] The Voice of Palestine, he added that Israel will carry out this step after it has denied all of the signed agreements… Erekat emphasized that the US took $844 million of the [Palestinian] people’s money (sic., American money; refers to PA request to stop US aid in order to evade the Anti-Terrorist Clarification Act of 2018; see note below), and convened the Arabs in Warsaw (sic., many non-Arab states also attended the Warsaw Conference; see note below) to say that it wants peace under the headline: ‘Dealing with the Iranian threat.’ He emphasized that the occupation is the source of extremism and violence in the region… Erekat turned to the Arabs and said: ‘Those who are going to Warsaw – what are they going for? You spoke about the Arab Peace Initiative. What has changed that you are rewarding [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu?’
He emphasized that those carrying out normalization with Israel are sticking a knife in the back of the [Palestinian] people.”
Click to view bulletin
Saeb Erekat also holds the following positions: Fatah Central Committee member and PLO Chief Negotiator.
Law to deduct terrorist salaries from PA tax money - Israeli law stating that the PA payments to terrorists and the families of dead terrorists is a financial incentive to terror. The law instructs the state to deduct and freeze the amount of money the PA pays in salaries to imprisoned terrorists and families of "Martyrs" from the tax money Israel collects for the PA. Should the PA stop these payments for a full year, the Israeli government would have the option of giving all or part of the frozen money to the PA. The law was enacted on July 2, 2018.
During the parliamentary vote, the law's sponsor Avi Dichter said: “The Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee received much help in its deliberations... from Palestinian Media Watch who provided us with authentic data that enabled productive and professional deliberations, nuances that are very difficult to achieve without precise data.” [Israeli Parliament website, July 2, 2018]
Anti-Terrorism Clarification Act of 2018 - Among other things, this law gives US courts the jurisdiction to seize assets from any body that receives foreign aid from the US government, viewing their acceptance of US foreign aid as consent to US jurisdiction. This enables past and present victims of terror to successfully pursue lawsuits in US courts against such bodies that were connected in any way to the acts of terror. In the past many such cases have been thrown out due to lack of US jurisdiction.
Warsaw Conference – the US sponsored a conference in Warsaw on Feb. 13-14, 2019, to discuss peace and security in the Middle East. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attended the conference. The PA was invited to attend but refused the invitation and requested that Arabs boycott the conference.
“PLO Executive Committee Secretary Saeb Erekat said yesterday [Feb. 17, 2019]: ‘The deduction of the salaries of the prisoners and Martyrs’ (Shahids’) families from the tax money (refers to Israeli law deducting terrorist salaries from PA tax money; see note below –Ed.), which Israel intends to carry out, is part of the Israeli-American plan to destroy the PA, in parallel with disconnecting the Gaza Strip from the West Bank. This plan is the “deal of the century” (refers to US President Donald Trump’s as yet unpublished Middle East peace plan –Ed.).’
In statements that he gave to [the official PA] radio [station] The Voice of Palestine, he added that Israel will carry out this step after it has denied all of the signed agreements… Erekat emphasized that the US took $844 million of the [Palestinian] people’s money (sic., American money; refers to PA request to stop US aid in order to evade the Anti-Terrorist Clarification Act of 2018; see note below), and convened the Arabs in Warsaw (sic., many non-Arab states also attended the Warsaw Conference; see note below) to say that it wants peace under the headline: ‘Dealing with the Iranian threat.’ He emphasized that the occupation is the source of extremism and violence in the region… Erekat turned to the Arabs and said: ‘Those who are going to Warsaw – what are they going for? You spoke about the Arab Peace Initiative. What has changed that you are rewarding [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu?’
He emphasized that those carrying out normalization with Israel are sticking a knife in the back of the [Palestinian] people.”
Click to view bulletin
Saeb Erekat also holds the following positions: Fatah Central Committee member and PLO Chief Negotiator.
Law to deduct terrorist salaries from PA tax money - Israeli law stating that the PA payments to terrorists and the families of dead terrorists is a financial incentive to terror. The law instructs the state to deduct and freeze the amount of money the PA pays in salaries to imprisoned terrorists and families of "Martyrs" from the tax money Israel collects for the PA. Should the PA stop these payments for a full year, the Israeli government would have the option of giving all or part of the frozen money to the PA. The law was enacted on July 2, 2018.
During the parliamentary vote, the law's sponsor Avi Dichter said: “The Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee received much help in its deliberations... from Palestinian Media Watch who provided us with authentic data that enabled productive and professional deliberations, nuances that are very difficult to achieve without precise data.” [Israeli Parliament website, July 2, 2018]
Anti-Terrorism Clarification Act of 2018 - Among other things, this law gives US courts the jurisdiction to seize assets from any body that receives foreign aid from the US government, viewing their acceptance of US foreign aid as consent to US jurisdiction. This enables past and present victims of terror to successfully pursue lawsuits in US courts against such bodies that were connected in any way to the acts of terror. In the past many such cases have been thrown out due to lack of US jurisdiction.
Warsaw Conference – the US sponsored a conference in Warsaw on Feb. 13-14, 2019, to discuss peace and security in the Middle East. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attended the conference. The PA was invited to attend but refused the invitation and requested that Arabs boycott the conference.
» View analysis citing this item