Israel Seizes $120m in Palestinian Funds Over UN Vote
Israel continues to respond with 'war, occupation and settlements'
Israel has seized over $120 million in tax revenues it collects for the Palestinian Authority in a second attempt to punish Palestine for its successful bid for observer status at the UN, which resulted in an overwhelming yes vote at the UN general assembly Thursday.
Directly following Friday's vote, which showed Israel and the US as the dominant opponents of a Palestinian state, Israel announced expansive settlement expansion plans in the West Bank of up to 3,000 new homes in settlements across the pre-1967 Green Line. An Israeli official admitted that the two actions were in direct response to the UN vote, the Guardian reports, and that they may withhold tax revenue from the PA again next month depending "on what the Palestinians do or don't do."
Yasser Abed Rabbo, a senior Palestinian official, said Israel was guilty of "piracy and theft" in not handing over the funds.
Meanwhile, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas returned home Sunday to a large crowd and cheers of approval in Ramallah.
"We now have a state," he said as the crowd roared. "The world has said loudly, 'Yes to the state of Palestine.'"
Abbas then warned of Israel's "creative punishments":
"We have to realize that your victory has provoked the powers of war, occupation and settlements because their isolation is deepened."
Netanyahu confirmed to his Cabinet Sunday:
"Today we are building and we will continue to build in Jerusalem and in all areas that appear on Israel's map of strategic interests."
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Israel has seized over $120 million in tax revenues it collects for the Palestinian Authority in a second attempt to punish Palestine for its successful bid for observer status at the UN, which resulted in an overwhelming yes vote at the UN general assembly Thursday.
Directly following Friday's vote, which showed Israel and the US as the dominant opponents of a Palestinian state, Israel announced expansive settlement expansion plans in the West Bank of up to 3,000 new homes in settlements across the pre-1967 Green Line. An Israeli official admitted that the two actions were in direct response to the UN vote, the Guardian reports, and that they may withhold tax revenue from the PA again next month depending "on what the Palestinians do or don't do."
Yasser Abed Rabbo, a senior Palestinian official, said Israel was guilty of "piracy and theft" in not handing over the funds.
Meanwhile, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas returned home Sunday to a large crowd and cheers of approval in Ramallah.
"We now have a state," he said as the crowd roared. "The world has said loudly, 'Yes to the state of Palestine.'"
Abbas then warned of Israel's "creative punishments":
"We have to realize that your victory has provoked the powers of war, occupation and settlements because their isolation is deepened."
Netanyahu confirmed to his Cabinet Sunday:
"Today we are building and we will continue to build in Jerusalem and in all areas that appear on Israel's map of strategic interests."
Israel has seized over $120 million in tax revenues it collects for the Palestinian Authority in a second attempt to punish Palestine for its successful bid for observer status at the UN, which resulted in an overwhelming yes vote at the UN general assembly Thursday.
Directly following Friday's vote, which showed Israel and the US as the dominant opponents of a Palestinian state, Israel announced expansive settlement expansion plans in the West Bank of up to 3,000 new homes in settlements across the pre-1967 Green Line. An Israeli official admitted that the two actions were in direct response to the UN vote, the Guardian reports, and that they may withhold tax revenue from the PA again next month depending "on what the Palestinians do or don't do."
Yasser Abed Rabbo, a senior Palestinian official, said Israel was guilty of "piracy and theft" in not handing over the funds.
Meanwhile, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas returned home Sunday to a large crowd and cheers of approval in Ramallah.
"We now have a state," he said as the crowd roared. "The world has said loudly, 'Yes to the state of Palestine.'"
Abbas then warned of Israel's "creative punishments":
"We have to realize that your victory has provoked the powers of war, occupation and settlements because their isolation is deepened."
Netanyahu confirmed to his Cabinet Sunday:
"Today we are building and we will continue to build in Jerusalem and in all areas that appear on Israel's map of strategic interests."