Lite Beer Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 Israel withholds Palestinian tax revenues after ICC moveIAN DEITCH, Associated PressJERUSALEM (AP) — Israel halted transfers of the tax revenue it collects on behalf of the Palestinians in retaliation for their move to join the International Criminal Court in the Hague, Israeli media reported Saturday.The Palestinians announced earlier this week that they are joining the International Criminal Court in the Hague to pursue war-crimes charges against Israel. The move is meant to pressure Israel into withdrawing from the territories that Palestinians demand for a future state.It's a risky strategy for the Palestinians because it means they themselves could be accused of war crimes over rocket attacks by the Islamic militant group Hamas on Israeli residential centers and other Palestinian violence against Jewish targets.The move drew threats of retaliation from Israel and criticism from the U.S. government, which called it "counterproductive."The daily newspaper Haaretz reported Saturday that Israel decided to withhold the taxes it collects for the Palestinians under the current interim peace accords and transfers each month to the Palestinian Authority. December's tax transfer is about $127 million, according to Haaretz.An Israeli government official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief the media, confirmed the substance of the reports but refused to elaborate.Senior Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat lashed out at the Israeli maneuver, calling it an act of "piracy" and a "collective punishment" against the Palestinian people."If Israel thinks that through economic pressure it will succeed in diverting our approach from freedom and independence, then it is wrong," Erekat told The Associated Press. "This is the money of the Palestinian people and Israel is not a donor country."Israel has stopped tax transfers before but such freezes have been short-lived.Withholding the funds is just one of several actions Israel could take against the Palestinians, including expanding West Bank settlement construction and curbing certain privileges. Israel's Channel 2 news reported on Saturday night that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would convene his Cabinet in the coming days to discuss further retaliatory steps. The U.S. government has not said how it will react, but it provides hundreds of millions of dollars in aid to the Palestinians.Turning to the international court at the Hague marks a major policy shift, transforming Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' relations with Israel from tense to openly hostile.Abbas has been under heavy domestic pressure to take stronger action against Israel amid months of rising tensions over the collapse of U.S.-brokered peace talks last spring, a 50-day war between Israel and Palestinian militants in Gaza over the summer, a recent spate of deadly Palestinian attacks on Israelis, and unrest over access to a key holy site in Jerusalem. -- (c) Associated Press 2015-01-04 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Ulysses G. Posted January 4, 2015 Popular Post Share Posted January 4, 2015 Good move by Israel. Sanction the heck out of these ingrates and charge them for war crimes for all the rocket attacks. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Seastallion Posted January 4, 2015 Popular Post Share Posted January 4, 2015 It's blackmail. Don't sue us or expose our crimes, or we'll make life difficult for you. I am not surprised at Israel's attitude; it's the same from bully's and criminals everywhere. I am, though, left wondering how the US can keep condoning this sort of blatantly aggressive behavior. Join the ICC yourself, Israel, start following moral and legal practices, and sue those with whom you have a gripe, not perpetuate criminal and nasty activities. 21 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ulysses G. Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 (edited) Tell this Palestinian child, killed by one of those Hamas rockets, that they are "fire crackers". http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_article.php?id=4755 Edited January 4, 2015 by Ulysses G. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post TVGerry Posted January 4, 2015 Popular Post Share Posted January 4, 2015 Tell this Palestinian child, killed by one of those Hamas rockets, that they are "fire crackers". http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_article.php?id=4755 And that's the damn problem with the crap liberal media like CNN, MSNBC, et al. They always report Israel killing Palestinians while choosing to ignore it when Hamas kills someone. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steely Dan Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 It's blackmail. Don't sue us or expose our crimes, or we'll make life difficult for you. I am not surprised at Israel's attitude; it's the same from bully's and criminals everywhere. I am, though, left wondering how the US can keep condoning this sort of blatantly aggressive behavior. Join the ICC yourself, Israel, start following moral and legal practices, and sue those with whom you have a gripe, not perpetuate criminal and nasty activities. I'm wondering why Israel transfers any tax revenues to a Palestinian entity which has forged an agreement with Hamas, who are committed to it's destruction. The Palestinians act like whining children who never take responsibility for their own futures because gullible liberals allow them to get away with it. Every missile fired from Gaza should be met by an hour when any electricity or water supplied by Israel is cut off. Now where's that cartoon with the baboon hitting the fire button? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post DerkMR Posted January 4, 2015 Popular Post Share Posted January 4, 2015 Would be a good time to sanction Israel by e.g. freezing all their overseas accounts. The Israeli behave as if all occupied territory is theirs and the Palestinian state which was planned to build when the state of Israel was created is something illegal - if so the state Israel would be as illegal... Bye, Derk 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ulysses G. Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 The Israeli behave as if all occupied territory is theirs and the Palestinian state which was planned to build when the state of Israel was created is something illegal The Palestinians turned that deal DOWN. The Palestinian state is not illegal, it does not have any borders and will not until they negotiate them with Israel as they agreed in the Oslo accords. It is time to stop stalling. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 Off-topic posts removed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seastallion Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 It's blackmail. Don't sue us or expose our crimes, or we'll make life difficult for you. I am not surprised at Israel's attitude; it's the same from bully's and criminals everywhere. I am, though, left wondering how the US can keep condoning this sort of blatantly aggressive behavior. Join the ICC yourself, Israel, start following moral and legal practices, and sue those with whom you have a gripe, not perpetuate criminal and nasty activities. I'm wondering why Israel transfers any tax revenues to a Palestinian entity which has forged an agreement with Hamas, who are committed to it's destruction. The Palestinians act like whining children who never take responsibility for their own futures because gullible liberals allow them to get away with it. Every missile fired from Gaza should be met by an hour when any electricity or water supplied by Israel is cut off. Now where's that cartoon with the baboon hitting the fire button? When will you stop repeating the myth that Hamas are committed to the destruction of Israel? You're using many years outdated information. As for cutting power and water...I agree with you. I, in fact would say a day, not an hour. Not that Israel allows them much water or electricity. But yes, it's a good idea. Much better than bombing innocent children playing on a beach. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post AloisAmrein Posted January 4, 2015 Popular Post Share Posted January 4, 2015 It is time that Israel is sued for his war crimes in Gaza. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post bananafish Posted January 4, 2015 Popular Post Share Posted January 4, 2015 Israel are only interested in the destruction of Palestine and making anything that ever has been Palestine part of Israel. They will not stop or accept anything other than the complete destruction of Palestine. 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post ezzra Posted January 4, 2015 Popular Post Share Posted January 4, 2015 (edited) Just to put things in perspective and context here, the Palestinian authority owes the Israel's Electricity generating company 760 million INS, (Israeli new Shekel) US $ 217 millions for the last several years now, while that tax refund money is at 176 million INS, about US $ 50 millions, So now, I would like to hear from any one here who's rubbishing Israel, how long YOUR ELECTRICITY PROVIDER company will allow you not to pay your bill before they cut you off? Edited January 4, 2015 by ezzra 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uptheos Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 I'm sure Qatar will make up the balance.....and more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ezzra Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 (edited) Israel are only interested in the destruction of Palestine and making anything that ever has been Palestine part of Israel. They will not stop or accept anything other than the complete destruction of Palestine. Hey Einstein, don't you think that if Israel would have wanted the Palestinians gone they would take them nearly 70 years to do so? think before you babble... Edited January 4, 2015 by ezzra 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uptheos Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 Israel are only interested in the destruction of Palestine and making anything that ever has been Palestine part of Israel. They will not stop or accept anything other than the complete destruction of Palestine. Hey Einstein, don't you think that if Israel would have wanted the Palestinians gone they would take them nearly 70 years to do so? think before you babble... Exactly, as if it would be a difficult task. Mind you I can't help but think that the destruction of Palestine would solve a lot of problems. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bananafish Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 Israel are only interested in the destruction of Palestine and making anything that ever has been Palestine part of Israel. They will not stop or accept anything other than the complete destruction of Palestine. Hey Einstein, don't you think that if Israel would have wanted the Palestinians gone they would take them nearly 70 years to do so? think before you babble... Okay Einstein, imagine in the latest heated violence between the two, Israel had just went 'to hell with this' and completely destroyed and claimed all of Palestine territory. Do you think the rest of the world would have stood idly by and allowed Israel to do completely destroy Palestine unchallenged? NO! They would have come up against global opposition. Instead, they have done it a little at a time, piece by piece, under the guise of struggling to reach a shared agreement they actually have no interest in. Think, before you reveal your ignorance. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steely Dan Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 Israel are only interested in the destruction of Palestine and making anything that ever has been Palestine part of Israel. They will not stop or accept anything other than the complete destruction of Palestine. Hey Einstein, don't you think that if Israel would have wanted the Palestinians gone they would take them nearly 70 years to do so? think before you babble... Okay Einstein, imagine in the latest heated violence between the two, Israel had just went 'to hell with this' and completely destroyed and claimed all of Palestine territory. Do you think the rest of the world would have stood idly by and allowed Israel to do completely destroy Palestine unchallenged? NO! They would have come up against global opposition. Instead, they have done it a little at a time, piece by piece, under the guise of struggling to reach a shared agreement they actually have no interest in. Think, before you reveal your ignorance. Indeed you have just demonstrated the preferential treatment Muslim populations get from the UN when you consider what happened when China annexed Tibet and Turkey annexed Northern Cyprus. Israel made a mistake post 67' they were attacked and should have declared land gained in a defensive war was spoils of war. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bananafish Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 The whole conflict is just another fallout of Britains shameful foreign policy. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bangon04 Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 Tell this Palestinian child, killed by one of those Hamas rockets, that they are "fire crackers". http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_article.php?id=4755 And that's the damn problem with the crap liberal media like CNN, MSNBC, et al. They always report Israel killing Palestinians while choosing to ignore it when Hamas kills someone. Israel is held up as a beacon of "democracy" in the middle east, and is lauded by its US Jewish sponsors as being on a higher level that its neighbours. Therefore is it not logical to hold Israel to higher standards of human rights behaviour than the neighbours which are despised and denigrated by the western media? Netanyahu never has nor never will negotiate in good faith with the Palestinians. They know it. Most people know it. Only the US protects Israel from international condemnation which means a damn.... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
losworld Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 (edited) Good move by Israel. Sanction the heck out of these ingrates and charge them for war crimes for all the rocket attacks. Yeah starve the women and the children. You are ridiculous but I guess your name says it all Even a drunken Grant wouldn't make such foolish statements. Edited January 4, 2015 by losworld Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Morch Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 It's blackmail. Don't sue us or expose our crimes, or we'll make life difficult for you. I am not surprised at Israel's attitude; it's the same from bully's and criminals everywhere. I am, though, left wondering how the US can keep condoning this sort of blatantly aggressive behavior. Join the ICC yourself, Israel, start following moral and legal practices, and sue those with whom you have a gripe, not perpetuate criminal and nasty activities. The Tax money transfers are part of the Oslo Accords. So are (were) issues related to the Palestinians going to the UNGE, UNSC and the latest ICC move. If the Palestinians wish to disengage themselves from the Oslo Accords they may do so, but then it leaves less room for them to complain about Israel doing the same. Fair enough to say that the Oslo Accords have gone stale (or whatever, they were initially meant as a limited framework), but walking out of them, then feigning indignation when the opposition does the same is disingenuous. Granted that by now, both sides accumulated their fair share of infractions, breaches and violations of accords, agreements and understandings. So it could be, indeed, time for a new framework to be sought. The issue is more with finding ways to agree even on that. While, as far as I know, the current Israeli action regarding withholding Palestinian tax revenues is not incorporated in the Oslo Accords (or rather, the Paris Protocol), the USA bill dealing with aid to the Palestinian does make specific connection to such breaches of the Oslo Accords. If memory serves this is true for at least some of the EU donor countries. On previous occasions when Israel withheld Palestinian tax revenues, USA pressure was brought to bear and fund transfer was resumed after a short while. Considering the current Palestinian actions, the upcoming Israeli elections (yes, this is also great campaign material for the right wing parties) and the USA bill formulation - it would be interesting to see how this one will pan out. IMO, this is more of knee-jerk reaction by the Israeli government mixed with election campaigning. More about "got to show we're doing something" rather than a well thought out move toward a defined goal. Claiming that the Palestinians breached the Oslo Accords with their recent actions, fair enough. Question is how the Israeli move relates to the Palestinian breach - there is simply little direct connection between the two. Applying an economic measure as response to an essentially legal and diplomatic actions makes less sense. The previous instances when Israel withheld Palestinian tax revenues did not end up particularly well from an Israeli point of view - actions were short-lived due to international pressure, effects were more to do with further weakening Abbas and the Fatah (and thereby enhancing the Hamas) and there was the inevitable diplomatic and public opinion backlash. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chuckd Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 The whole conflict is just another fallout of Britains shameful foreign policy. You seem to be blaming everybody but the Palestinians. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bananafish Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 The whole conflict is just another fallout of Britains shameful foreign policy. You seem to be blaming everybody but the Palestinians. Well to be complete, the conflict is because of British foreign policy, Zionism, and Palestinian nationalism. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Morch Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 (edited) It's blackmail. Don't sue us or expose our crimes, or we'll make life difficult for you. I am not surprised at Israel's attitude; it's the same from bully's and criminals everywhere. I am, though, left wondering how the US can keep condoning this sort of blatantly aggressive behavior. Join the ICC yourself, Israel, start following moral and legal practices, and sue those with whom you have a gripe, not perpetuate criminal and nasty activities. I'm wondering why Israel transfers any tax revenues to a Palestinian entity which has forged an agreement with Hamas, who are committed to it's destruction. The Palestinians act like whining children who never take responsibility for their own futures because gullible liberals allow them to get away with it. Every missile fired from Gaza should be met by an hour when any electricity or water supplied by Israel is cut off. Now where's that cartoon with the baboon hitting the fire button? The Palestinian tax revenue does not go to Hamas. The various taxes are levied on border points, ports and airports (plus social security tax returns for Palestinians working legally within Israel). Israel takes a certain commission off the top, and periodically deducts variable sums that go toward partial cover of the chronic Palestinian debts to Israel (usually this refers to the PA's electric bill). The tax revenues are transferred to the PA - which does not, on the whole, spend money in the Gaza Strip (even the meager funds actually transferred to the PA for Gaza's rehabilitation are being withheld). On the other hand, cutting off the tax revenue transfers makes Abbas and the Fatah further lose ground in the popularity contest with Hamas. Despite certain views on how things ought to be, the consequences of such actions as withholding tax revenues are usually pinned on Israel and the Fatah, while the Hamas generally comes out clean. This been done a few times in the past, so makes one wonder if that baboon image isn't applicable to more than one of the relevant parties. Abbas may not be the partner hoped for, but he's better than the alternatives. Edited January 4, 2015 by Morch Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Morch Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 It seems srtange to me that Hamas ans the Palestinians are willing to put themselved on the line at the ICC yet the Israelis and USA refuse to sign up. If their hands are that clean that why should they not sign up? Might have to do with not all nations being as trusting with regard to certain biases evident in some international bodies. The USA and Israel are not alone in this regard, as can be shown here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Criminal_Court#mediaviewer/File:ICC_member_states.svg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Morch Posted January 4, 2015 Popular Post Share Posted January 4, 2015 (edited) It's blackmail. Don't sue us or expose our crimes, or we'll make life difficult for you. I am not surprised at Israel's attitude; it's the same from bully's and criminals everywhere. I am, though, left wondering how the US can keep condoning this sort of blatantly aggressive behavior. Join the ICC yourself, Israel, start following moral and legal practices, and sue those with whom you have a gripe, not perpetuate criminal and nasty activities. I'm wondering why Israel transfers any tax revenues to a Palestinian entity which has forged an agreement with Hamas, who are committed to it's destruction. The Palestinians act like whining children who never take responsibility for their own futures because gullible liberals allow them to get away with it. Every missile fired from Gaza should be met by an hour when any electricity or water supplied by Israel is cut off. Now where's that cartoon with the baboon hitting the fire button? When will you stop repeating the myth that Hamas are committed to the destruction of Israel? You're using many years outdated information. As for cutting power and water...I agree with you. I, in fact would say a day, not an hour. Not that Israel allows them much water or electricity. But yes, it's a good idea. Much better than bombing innocent children playing on a beach. It is not a myth. Rather, denying it is. Actually, most of the links provided to support the "reasonable Hamas" image are the outdated ones, and moreover, they are almost always referring to a few statements, which are often quoted out of context. On the other hand, there is really no shortage of various Hamas leaders stating what they are actually committed to. No need to even go back that far for that. And no, the Unity government thing got little to do with this issue - claims to the contrary disregard actual framework of that effort. Can't see the point of utterly denying this when even the Hamas does not. Cutting off the power to the Gaza Strip would most certainly be denounced as collective punishment, and is a violation of international law regarding obligations of the occupying force. Wouldn't it actually be better if no rockets were fired to begin with, so that no power cuts and no bombings would be considered? Edited January 4, 2015 by Morch 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post SOTIRIOS Posted January 4, 2015 Popular Post Share Posted January 4, 2015 .....when your country is invaded.....occupied...taken over...... ...and you are put in fenced enclosures....... ...how can the world sit idly by..... ...and they should be expected to pay taxes to their occupiers as well......??? 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Morch Posted January 4, 2015 Popular Post Share Posted January 4, 2015 .....when your country is invaded.....occupied...taken over...... ...and you are put in fenced enclosures....... ...how can the world sit idly by..... ...and they should be expected to pay taxes to their occupiers as well......??? This is about taxes collected by Israel for the Palestinians, not about taxes paid by the Palestinians to Israel. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jingthing Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 .....when your country is invaded.....occupied...taken over...... ...and you are put in fenced enclosures....... ...how can the world sit idly by..... ...and they should be expected to pay taxes to their occupiers as well......??? This is about taxes collected by Israel for the Palestinians, not about taxes paid by the Palestinians to Israel. Indeed. It helps to read the OP sometimes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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