Israel freezes $182m in tax transfers it says was paid into ‘martyrs’ fund’ for Palestinians
Israel’s Security Cabinet froze about $182 million in tax transfers to the Palestinian Authority, which it said was the amount of money paid last year to families of people alleged to have launched attacks on Israel.
Under interim peace agreements, Israel collects hundreds of millions of dollars in taxes for the authority.
The tax transfers are a central source of funding for the Palestinians.
Israel has long objected to a Palestinian “martyrs’ fund”, which provides stipends to thousands of families whose relatives were killed, wounded or imprisoned in conflicts with Israel.
The Palestinians said the payments provide a kind of welfare system meant to assist families affected by the conflict.
Israel said such payments served as rewards and incentives for acts of violence.
In its decision, the Security Cabinet approved a recommendation
by Defence Minister Benny Gantz to freeze about 597m shekels ($181.9m) for what it called “indirect support of terrorism” in 2020.
It said the funds would be frozen on a monthly basis out of payments that Israel transfers to the Palestinians. Supporters of the fund said they regarded the families of attackers as victims of Israeli occupation.
They said that many Palestinians are unfairly detained by the Israeli security forces and that the number of prisoners involved in deadly attacks is a small percentage of those helped by the fund.
Qadri Abu Bakr, head of the Palestinian Commission for Detainees’ Affairs, said Israel had stolen Palestinians’ funds
They called the decision a “crime and piracy”.
President Mahmoud Abbas spoke by phone on Sunday with Israel’s new President, Isaac Herzog, the official Palestinian news agency Wafa reported.
It said Mr Abbas called for a “comprehensive calm” in Gaza, the West Bank and Jerusalem, and called for steps that would create conditions for a “achieving a just and comprehensive peace”.
The report did not mention the frozen tax transfers.
Palestinian news agency did not say if presidents discussed the funds in their call on Sunday