Credit: Unsplash
Cabinet decision shifts frozen tax funds away from Hamas-run Gaza, utilizing Norway as an intermediary.
Israel’s cabinet has given approval to a plan redirecting frozen tax funds earmarked for the Hamas-run Gaza Strip through Norway instead of transferring them to the Palestinian Authority (PA), according to officials on Sunday.
As per the interim peace accords established in the 1990s, Israel’s finance ministry collects taxes on behalf of the Palestinians and routinely transfers the funds to the Western-backed PA, which exercises limited self-rule in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. However, ongoing disputes, including Israel’s insistence that the funds do not reach Hamas, have persisted.
Hamas took control of Gaza from the Western-backed PA in 2007, following a brief civil war and two years after Israel withdrew settlers and military forces. Despite the change in control, many PA public sector employees in Gaza continued to receive their salaries from the transferred tax revenues.
Taxes collected by Israel and bound for Gaza will be held in Norway instead of being sent to the Palestinian Authority (PA), according to a plan approved by Israeli officials https://t.co/waxU17kPtu pic.twitter.com/quAD5NqeVN
— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) January 21, 2024
The recent decision by Israel’s cabinet regarding the tax funds has gained support from Norway and the United States, with the latter serving as a guarantor for the framework’s adherence, as announced by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The statement from Netanyahu’s office clarified that the funds, or any equivalent, will not be transferred “in any situation, except with the approval of the Israeli finance minister, and also not through a third party.”
In response, the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) expressed its desire for the full amount and rejected any conditions preventing the PA from paying its staff, including those in Gaza. Hussein Al-Sheikh, Secretary-General of the Executive Committee of the PLO, stated on social media platform X that any deductions from their financial rights or conditions imposed by Israel would be rejected.
A spokesperson for Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich confirmed that Norway would hold the funds under this new arrangement. Smotrich, known for his opposition to transferring funds to the PA, emphasized that “Not one shekel will go to Gaza.”
-
Voters in the southern Philippines have taken part in a historic election that could shape the future of one... -
The 18th BRICS Summit concluded in New Delhi on September 13 after two days of discussions involving some of...
-
The scale of the disaster unfolding across the Himalayas has become clearer, and the numbers are devastating. By September...
-
Severe weather has caused serious disruption across parts of Western Europe and Asia, with communities in Germany and China...
-
Singapore’s death penalty policies are once again under international attention. On August 18, independent United Nations human rights experts...
-
A powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck western Colombia on August 10, shaking cities across the country and sending tremors into...
-
The United Kingdom’s AI Safety and Security Institute has released new evaluation findings examining how advanced artificial intelligence models...
-
A powerful heatwave sweeping across Western Europe has triggered one of the most serious wildfire emergencies in recent years....
-
On July 20, federal authorities in the United States handed down a life sentence to Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada,...
-
The United Kingdom’s political landscape has experienced a major change as Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham prepares to step...
-
The 2026 NATO Summit officially began in Ankara, Turkey, drawing attention from world leaders, defense analysts, and media alike....
-
Europe is dealing with one of its harshest early-summer heat waves in years. What started as an intense spell...
