Israeli penalties threaten security cooperation with PA
Source: Al-Monitor
The issue of the tax funds continues to rock the Palestinian Authority (PA). Two days after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave the green light to unfreeze the funds withheld in January 2015, less than a third to cover PA debts to Israel, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said that he would refuse to accept the money and turn instead to the International Criminal Court (ICC). During an April 5 speech in Ramallah, he said, "We are returning the money. Either they give it to us in full or we go to arbitration or to the court (ICC). We will not accept anything else."
Immediately after the refusal, PA employees were notified that in light of the financial situation, their salaries would be slashed by 40%. This elicited great agitation among the staff, including security forces and civil servants, all of whom have been only partially paid in the past four months. They're angry that at this stage, the PA is only threatening Israel with filing a complaint with the ICC — a process that could take a very long time, while they remain without a means to provide for their families and pay off debts.
A Palestinian security official told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity that he held candid talks with his subordinates, who are grappling with serious financial situations. He told them that Abbas talked with all the members of the Fatah leadership, promising them that a supreme effort would be made to resolve the salary issues as soon as possible “without having to beg Israel,” as he put it. Indeed, a temporary solution has been found. During his tour of the Gulf states, Abbas apparently won a $100 million loan from Qatar, allowing him to pay the remainder of the salaries that were cut. That is, until the next crisis comes along.
But this is not where the affair ends, and the turmoil in the PA has not entirely dissipated. Senior Fatah members are unequivocally demanding that Abbas treat Israel the way the latter treats the PA and repay it “by the same token” — namely, by employing sanctions. The most significant area that could affect relations between Israel and the Authority is security coordination, which the president once labeled sacred and untouchable, despite the differences of opinion and tensions with Israel.
Read more: http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2015/04/israel-palestine-tax-funds-debts-security-cooperation.html##ixzz3WrWGbfwF
Read more: http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2015/04/israel-palestine-tax-funds-debts-security-cooperation.html