Israel to cut Palestinian tax transfers over 'terrorist payouts'

[Eugene]

Source: Reuters

World | Fri Jul 1, 2016 2:02pm EDT

Israel to cut Palestinian tax transfers over 'terrorist payouts'

Israel will reduce monthly transfers of tax collected on behalf of the Palestinians in what aides to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described as a response to the killing of two Israelis in Palestinian attacks in the occupied West Bank this week.

The amount deducted from about $130 million sent to the Palestinian Authority (PA) each month will be equal to stipends it pays militants in Israeli prisons and the families of jailed or slain militants, Netanyahu's office said on Friday.

The move, which follows the killings of an Israeli man and girl in the West Bank this week, will be a blow to the already weak finances of the Western-backed Palestinian Authority (PA).

"Incitement and payouts to terrorists and their relatives constitute an incentive to murder," Netanyahu's office said in a statement announcing the funding cuts, effective immediately.

[font size=1]-snip-[/font]

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-palestinians-israel-tax-idUSKCN0ZH57H

[giftedgirl77]

1. Ahhh Israel, any excuse to fuck over PA is good for them.

[MousePlayingDaffodil]

2. Perhaps they should start stabbing 13-year-olds . . .

. . . and really show 'em, huh?

[giftedgirl77]

7. Totally avoidable if they hadn't stolen their land & livelihood

in the first place. But I guess that was the PAs fault too huh?

[shira]

10. The terror attacks against Jews began in the 1920's. Got an excuse for that? n/t

[King_David]

18. So stabbing a child to death is justified?

What kind of a vermin monster is capable of stabbing a child to death , under ANY circumstances?

[shira]

3. EU money goes to paying terrorist families. The worse the crime, the more money...

What do you think about that?

[giftedgirl77]

8. I think the real terrorists are the assholes that stole the

PAs land, mowed down their homes & told them to go fuck themselves.

[shira]

9. So do you support the PA paying terrorists and their families? n/t

[King_David]

19. Quite emotionally invested I see ,

I wonder why?

Mowed down their houses- the PAs houses?

Please enlighten us here , or did you just make that up ?

And how does that pertain to some scum vermin monster stabbing a child repeatedly in the head ?

Think there's an explanation for the vermin scummy monster that killed 49 LGBTQ and our friends in Orlando too?

[shira]

4. Good. The amount withheld is the same monthly amount the PLO pays...

....in stipends to terrorists and/or their families. It's about damned time.

Can't wait for western nations to condemn that. The very same western nations whose funds go directly to terrorists and their families for murdering Jews. The same EU that just applauded Mahmoud Abbas' incitement against Rabbis calling for the poisoning of wells. Those who support funding terrorists against the Jews can all ESAD.

I also don't want to hear how Palestinians are being fucked by Israel. Their leaders in both Hamas and the PA are all corrupt billionaires who don't want to make life better for Palestinians. They want Palestinians in misery because THAT sells. And because they know they have western supporters who love blaming the Jews for that misery.

[shira]

6. Sure. The Palestinians get that money back as soon as they stop paying terrorists.

When that's confirmed without any doubt, release the funds.

Not a moment before.

[Little Tich]

11. Yet another attempt at collective punishment of Palestinians and a smell step towards the

bi-national state.

Those payments are necessary for keeping up the PA's popularity, and not paying the stipends is tantamount to dismantling the PA. Besides, as Palestinians are tried in separate kangaroo courts with a 99.74% conviction rate, it's doubtful that any of those tried got a fair trial. (http://972mag.com/conviction-rate-for-palestinians-in-israels-military-courts-99-74-percent/28579/)

It's also an attempt to sabotage the Palestinian economy further - every time Israel withholds payments the PA suffers a liquidity crisis with a corresponding slump in Palestinian economic activity, as reported by the World Bank:

Economic Monitoring Report to the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee
Source: The World Bank, April 19, 2016
(snip p1, under "Executive Summary&quot

Overall growth in the Palestinian economy was limited to 3.5 percent due to a growth slowdown in the West Bank from 5.3 percent in 2014 to an anemic 2.5 percent in 2015 in the face of a significant decline in foreign aid and the liquidity squeeze caused by the Israeli decision to suspend the transfer of the Palestinian Authority’s (PA) taxes during the first four months of 2015. Given that population growth in the Palestinian territories is around 3 percent, economic growth witnessed in 2015 was not enough to increase per capita incomes.

Read more: http://www-wds.worldbank.org/external/default/WDSContentServer/WDSP/IB/2016/04/14/090224b084299d98/3_0/Rendered/PDF/main0report.pdf

I suppose all those one-staters who support this madness will get their wish of a bi-national state fulfilled. This is just another step towards that goal...

[shira]

14. Sure looks that way. +1000. n/t

[Little Tich]

15. We seem to have different notions of what constitutes a bounty.

Using money to buy support is unfortunately how things are done in some parts of the world, and if the PA doesn't do it, there will be an opening for others to do it (hint: Hamas). At the same time, I don't think you appreciate the sheer scale of the PA's fiscal problems and the poor state of the Palestinian economy. The consequences of any measures that hamper the Palestinian economy further must be carefully considered before they're implemented. I fail to understand how making the Palestinians poorer will make things better, but then again, I don't understand how building more settlements will lead to a two-state solution either.

In retrospect, this will probably be yet another one of the many measures that killed the two-state solution.

[Violet_Crumble]

17. Okay, I'm interested in finding out more about these payments...

Have you got anything you can point me to with information about this? See, if there is a 'bonus' with a bit of a 'Good job!' slap on the back for anyone who successfully kills Israelis, that's really bad. If there's any payments that are above and beyond that which a dependent would get if their spouse or parent dies or is in an Israeli prison, then that's also bad.

I'm the first to admit I'm shit with numbers, so I may need some help with this one. I read that Israel has reduced the tax revenue they transfer to the PA by a percentage and it was calculated on how much the PA is paying out in these benefits. The thing is if Israel is withholding it based on bonus payments for Israelis being killed, then there would have had to have been a hell of a lot more Israelis who've been killed for it to be set at that level.