The national security adviser to the Israeli prime minister said that Israel wouldn’t withhold or deduct debts from the tax revenue it collects on behalf of the Palestinian Authority.
Yossi Cohen said that such an action could eventually lead to the collapse of the PA.
Haaretz reported that Cohen’s remarks came during a discussion at the Israeli Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee this week.
The discussion was raised by Knesset member Orit Struck of the right-wing Jewish Home party. She asked Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein last week to discuss the possibility of withholding tax revenues which Israel passes on to the PA every month.
She claimed that the PA pays tens of millions of shekels every month in salaries to Palestinian prisoners jailed in Israel over attacks against Israelis. Thus, she said, the Israeli government should deduct that money from the tax revenue transferred to the PA.
Struck also claimed that Palestinian “terrorists” report during interrogation that they carried out the attacks against Israelis “just to obtain a salary from the PA.”
In fact, she added, “that has become their favorite career.”
{Matzav.com Israel}
