After UN vote on ICJ, Israel preps sanctions for Palestinian Authority
The Israeli cabinet's new sanctions on the Palestinian Authority and its leadership are putting Jerusalem on a collision course with Washington and the international community.
Israel’s security cabinet approved sanctions against the Palestinian Authority Friday in response to a UN resolution adopted Dec. 30. Possible sanctions were presented to the cabinet by senior security figures Thursday evening.
Israel has been threatening sanctions against the Palestinian Authority since the United Nations voted in favor of a resolution to seek an advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice on the situation in the West Bank. On Wednesday night, after the UN convened to condemn Israel on National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir ascending the Temple Mount complex earlier in the week.
The sanctions adopted Friday include a freeze on construction plans to benefit Palestinians in West Bank's Area C (which is under Israeli control), withholding taxes Israel collects on behalf of the PA, revoking benefits for PA figures (especially VIP passes) who lead diplomatic and legal campaigns against Israel and unspecified moves against groups that support terror in the guise of humanitarian work.
The taxes to be withheld will involve two calculations: The first is Israel's recent and ongoing practice of deducting from the taxes due to the Palestinian Authority the stipends it pays to families of Palestinian assailants imprisoned in Israel. The second will be a deduction of 139 million shekels ($39 million) to compensate Israeli families of terror victims targeted by Palestinians.
