PA Foreign Ministry condemns Israeli decision to cut tax transfers to PA as “stealing”
Headline: "The [PA] Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates: We will protect our people's money according to international law"
"The [PA] Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatiates condemned the occupation's decision to steal the Palestinian tax money (i.e., refers to Israeli law to deduct terror salaries from PA tax money; see note below) under false excuses and pretexts, and in a way that contradicts all of the agreements that were signed and the Israeli commitments on this matter. It also considered this an inseparable part of the occupation's comprehensive and open war against our people, its leadership, and its firm and legal national rights, and as an attempt to destroy the foundations of our people standing firm on all of the land of our homeland and its adherence to the basic principles of its national rights.
The ministry said in a statement yesterday [Feb. 11, 2019]: 'This decision of the occupation comes in conjunction with the escalation of the steps by [US President Donald] Trump's administration that are meant to strangle and dry up the financial sources of the State of Palestine and its institutions by tightening the financial siege (apparently referring to the stopping of USAID funds – at the PA’s request; see note below –Ed.) and preventing money transfers to the Palestinian treasury.’ …
The ministry continued: ‘If the Americans and Israelis think that this policy will succeed in achieving their colonialist expansions plans, they are deluded - particularly since we have already faced more difficult circumstances than this and our people has succeeded in holding on, standing firm, and overcoming the difficult and ongoing challenges while the occupation and its allies have failed to subjugate our people and cause it to concede its just and legal national rights.’”
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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.
"The [PA] Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatiates condemned the occupation's decision to steal the Palestinian tax money (i.e., refers to Israeli law to deduct terror salaries from PA tax money; see note below) under false excuses and pretexts, and in a way that contradicts all of the agreements that were signed and the Israeli commitments on this matter. It also considered this an inseparable part of the occupation's comprehensive and open war against our people, its leadership, and its firm and legal national rights, and as an attempt to destroy the foundations of our people standing firm on all of the land of our homeland and its adherence to the basic principles of its national rights.
The ministry said in a statement yesterday [Feb. 11, 2019]: 'This decision of the occupation comes in conjunction with the escalation of the steps by [US President Donald] Trump's administration that are meant to strangle and dry up the financial sources of the State of Palestine and its institutions by tightening the financial siege (apparently referring to the stopping of USAID funds – at the PA’s request; see note below –Ed.) and preventing money transfers to the Palestinian treasury.’ …
The ministry continued: ‘If the Americans and Israelis think that this policy will succeed in achieving their colonialist expansions plans, they are deluded - particularly since we have already faced more difficult circumstances than this and our people has succeeded in holding on, standing firm, and overcoming the difficult and ongoing challenges while the occupation and its allies have failed to subjugate our people and cause it to concede its just and legal national rights.’”
Click to view bulletin
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.
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