Israel’s military-political cabinet has approved a plan to freeze funds allocated to the Gaza Strip; it provides for the storage of money in Norway and the possibility of transferring it to the Palestinian authorities only with the permission of Israel, the Israeli Prime Minister’s office said on Sunday.
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Under existing agreements, Israel collects monthly taxes and duties on behalf of the Palestinians and transfers these funds to the Palestinian National Authority (PNA), some of which goes to finance its apparatus in the Gaza Strip. These funds account for more than half of all revenues to the PNA budget.
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“The Military-Political Cabinet today approved a plan to freeze funds for Gaza, developed by the Prime Minister, Minister of Finance and Minister of Strategic Affairs. The United States and Norway endorse the decision of the Military-Political Cabinet to stop the transfer of funds intended for the Gaza Strip to the Palestinian Authority “Thus, the frozen funds will not be transferred to the Palestinian Authority, but will remain in the hands of a third country,” the statement said.
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The office noted that money or its equivalent under no circumstances can be transferred to the PNA without the approval of the Israeli Minister of Finance, even through a third country.
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“Any violation of the agreement will allow the Minister of Finance to immediately freeze all clearing funds of the Palestinians. The United States is the guarantor of the implementation of the plan. The Prime Minister ordered orderly organizational work to implement the plan,” the Prime Minister’s office added.
