Obviously Israel can’t complain when US releases $500 million in aid when we do it ourselves. Thus the PA escapes punishment for going to the UN for recognition. Our remaining threat is to build in E-1. No one believes that we will do it. Nor do we condition the flow of money on … on anything. Ted Belman
Just before the start of the Passover holiday on Monday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that Israel would reinstate the regular transfer of tax revenue to the Palestinian Authority. The decision was approved by the Diplomatic-Security Cabinet.
The move came several days after U.S. President Barack Obama, while visiting Israel, called for confidence-building steps as means of resuming the Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.
Israel suspended the transfer of funds — about $100 million in monthly customs fees and other commercial levies it collects on behalf of the PA according to economic articles stipulated in the Oslo Accords — in November, after Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas succeeded in gaining nonmember observer state status for the Palestinians at the U.N.
The cut-off was a blow to Abbas, who urgently needed the cash to pay public sector salaries at a time of growing financial strain. Officials had warned of possible unrest in Judea and Samaria if wage arrears were not covered.
Under international pressure, Israel made a transfer in January and again in February, but said at the time that decisions on whether to continue would be made on a month-by-month basis.
Netanyahu’s office on Monday said the prime minister had instructed Finance Minister Yair Lapid “to resume the transfers.” A spokesman for Netanyahu said that meant regular monthly payments would be made from now on.
Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad told Reuters: “This was Palestinian money that was being withheld from us, and now these funds can be directed toward alleviating our grave financial crisis.”
Can any one explain what is the Israeli tax transfer to PA.
Why is Israel paying and for what?
Perhaps more directly, is there nobody who can stop it?
‘Deal with Turks doesn’t require Gaza blockade end’ 😀
Israeli national security adviser tells Army Radio, “We do not intend to give up on our right to respond to what happens in Gaza.”
Erdogan claims he taped the conversation with BB and he can prove BB committed to lifting the Blockade. Don’t know which one is the bigger liar?
In any event, BB will capitulate if he has in fact not agreed. BB in all of his public history in government has NEVER spoken the truth to anyone in or out of Israel.
The problem is that Turkey conditioned the normalizing of relations with an official apology, compensation for the bereaved families of the nine Turkish activists, and the removal of the Israeli Gaza blockade. http://www.jpost.com/Diplomacy-and-Politics/Turkey-demands-1m-for-each-flotilla-fatality-307840
Minister of Justice Tzipi Livni is mediating the compensation talks between Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and Israel. She has spoken to Davutoglu over the past few days and the two countries have agreed to set up a joint committee to discuss the amount of compensation to be paid.
Technical teams that will discuss this issue – the Israeli team led by Joseph Ciechanover and the Turkish one by Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Feridun Sinirlioglu, a former ambassador to Israel – are expected to begin meetings this week. In past negotiations between the two countries over the compensation issue, the idea was for Israel to pay directly into a Turkish fund set up for the families, and not to the families individually.
On Tuesday, Erdogan told the Turkish parliament that now that relations with Israel were on the mend, Ankara is going to become more involved in “solving the Palestinian question and thus bringing about a new equation.”
He also added that the wording of Netanyahu’s apology was done under US President Barack Obama’s supervision, and that the phone conversation was recorded and written statements were issued by all three parties, according to Turkish daily Hurriyet.
Since BB holds’s the portfolio of the FM and the Portfolio of PM, who else makes up the diplomatic-Security cabinet-?
Should we assume it was the sole and arbitrary decision of BB? If so, why say it was anything else like Diplomatic-Security cabinet?
Who makes up the cabinet? What was the vote tally? I think most of Israels ministers are out of the country for the holidays and that’s when the decision was taken, probably in their absence.
Bennett says Erdogan making Israel regret apology
Minister of Economics and Trade says Turkey isn’t doing Israel a favor; Ayelet Shaked calls Erdogan ‘Islamist anti-Semite’
Money, Gaza blockade hold up Israel-Turkey rapprochement
Erdogan demands $1 million for each of the activists killed on the Mavi Marmara, a lifting of the naval embargo on the Strip
Israel has said it is willing to pay $100,000 to the families, and the enormous gulf between the expectations of the two countries has prompted officials to establish a commission to resolve the matter.
No, it was never their money. Bibi is paying jizya.