Israel to pass over Palestinian funds held over UNESCO membership bid
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s security-diplomatic cabinet is expected to meet Monday and approve the thaw of $100 million of tax funds Israel had collected for the Palestinian Authority during the month of October, and which were frozen over the Palestinian admission into the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
According to one senior Israeli official, the majority of cabinet ministers are expected for vote for passing the funds over to the PA, as a result of, among other reasons, the security establishment’s vehement objection to the continued withholding of Palestinian funds, which the PA uses to pay Palestinian security officials in the West Bank.
The $100 million are Palestinian money which Israel collects for it under the Oslo Accords. GOC Central Command and the Shin Bet both believe that the continued withholding of the funds would hurt the salaries of Palestinian police officers, which could ultimately destabilize security arrangements in the West Bank.
However, cabinet is also expected to discuss new policies concerning future sanctions Israel could impose on the PA, if Palestinians continue to pursue unilateral actions in the United Nations.