The Palestinian negotiator in Mideast peace talks is calling Israel's decision to stop tax money transfers "piracy" on Friday, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Saeb Erekat said Friday that "the Israeli decision to withhold these funds is piracy. ... It cannot be maintained," a day after an Israeli official said Israel would stop the tax money transfers in retaliation for the Palestinians pushing to sign up for more recognition from international agencies and treaties, the WSJ reported.
Tensions rose when Israel failed to release Palestinian prisoners as promised and moved forward with more settlements in land Palestinians want for their future capital, according to the WSJ. Israel collects about $100 million a month in taxes for the Palestinians. U.S. State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki called the Israeli move "unfortunate" on Friday.
The sanctions, aimed at cutting off the Palestinian Authority's economic air, have been used by Israel in the past as a punishment, the WSJ reported.
An Israeli official, speaking anonymously, said his government wouldn't transfer a portion of the tax it collects for the Palestinian government, without specifying how much would be withheld, according to the WSJ.
The move was "in response to the decision of the Palestinians to apply to United Nations treaties," the official said, the WSJ reported.
Last week, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas signed his government up to 15 international treaties and conventions after Israel didn't follow through with a scheduled release of about two dozen Arab prisoners at the end of March, according to the WSJ.
Israel views the Palestinian move as a strategy to bypass direct negotiations as a path to an independent state, the WSJ reported. The acrimony stalled eight months of negotiations to begin peace talks ahead of an April 29 deadline set by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry.
