PNN – The British Foreign Minister expressed concern about the decision of Bezalel Smotrich, the Minister of Finance of the Zionist regime, not to transfer tax revenues to the Palestinian Authority, and warned that such an action would hinder the establishment of peace in the region.
According to the report of Pakistan News Network, “David Cameron” published a message on X social network (former Twitter) on Thursday and wrote: I am concerned about the Israeli Finance Minister’s proposed plan to impose further restrictions on the finances of the Palestinian Authority and the expansion of settlements in the West Bank.
He stated that “such actions harm the opportunities for peace, security and stability in the region” and added: “We need a Palestinian organization for lasting peace.”
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In response to the decision of three European countries, Norway, Spain and Ireland, to recognize the independent state of Palestine, Smotrich expressed his opposition to the transfer of tax revenues to the Palestinian Authority and demanded the imposition of sanctions against this political entity.
He has demanded the permanent cancellation of the licenses of all senior officials of the Palestinian Authority and the imposition of more financial sanctions on its high-ranking figures and their families. He claimed: I do not intend to transfer funds to the self-governing organizations from now until further notice.
The funds that Smotrich wants to be blocked are the revenues from taxes and customs duties on imported Palestinian goods, which the Ministry of Finance of the Zionist regime collects and pays to the Palestinian Authority monthly after deducting part of it for debts.
According to reports, in 2021 the monthly average of these funds, after the amounts deducted by Tel Aviv, was 700 million shekels ($220.8 million), which is nearly 63 percent of the monthly budget of the Ramallah government, which is facing a severe financial crisis.