Israel announces sanctions on Palestinian Authority after UN vote
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Hashim Sheikh
- . January 7, 2023
- . Update: January 7, 2023 3:41 pm
Israel has announced a package of five sanctions against the Palestinian Authority (PA), the Fatah-controlled government body of the State of Palestine, after it requested the United Nations’ highest judicial body, the International Court of Justice, to give an opinion on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
A statement by the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that these measures were a “response to PA’s decision to wage political and legal war against Israel.” Israel’s Security Cabinet approved these sanctions against the PA.
Reportedly, the United Nations (UN) General Assembly voted to support the PA’s request on December 30, 2022. The UN General Assembly approved a resolution with 87 votes in favour, 26 votes against the resolution, with 53 abstaining.
Israel decided to use 139 million shekels from PA funds to compensate the families of victims who suffered due to Palestinian militant attacks. Israel has collected tax money on behalf of the PA.
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Israel also decided to stop Palestinian construction activities in Area C, saying those parts of the occupied West Bank come under Israel’s administration. Under the measures, Israel also revoked the VIP cards of some Palestinian officials. Those VIP cards allowed Palestinian officials to easily pass in and out of the “occupied” West Bank, according to the Israeli authorities.
The Israeli authorities also took measures against some Palestinian institutions in the occupied West Bank, accusing them of working against Israel.
However, the PA “condemned and rejected” these measures. PA also called on United States (US) President Joe Biden’s administration to stop the implementation of these measures. Nabil Abu Rudeineh, the spokesman for PA President Mahmoud Abbas, reportedly said, “We reject these measures.”
The Palestinian foreign ministry said the measures were a “reflection of the Netanyahu government’s racist colonial platform against Palestinians.”
Earlier, the International Court of Justice and the United Nations termed the settlements in the Israeli-occupied West Bank as illegal under international law.
