Netanyahu set to hand over $100 million in Palestinian tax money

[bemildred]

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appears ready to come down from his high horse: A month after the forum of eight senior ministers decided to freeze $100 million in tax revenues collected by Israel on behalf of the Palestinian Authority, the Israeli premier seems set to release the funds in coming days.

While Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman remains completely against the move, and intends to fight it, he has retracted his threat to dismantle the coalition if the funds are indeed released.

The issue of the tax revenues transfer to the PA has been a classic example of Netanyahu's modus operandi over the past three years. First, he balks at making a decision; then, he comes under political pressure from Lieberman and is dragged into making a decision he doesn't really like; thereafter, he takes heavy flak from abroad; and finally, he returns to the original decision but fails to receive any credit for it.

"In the case, too, of the Palestinian funds, Netanyahu got the short end of the stick twice," said a senior Israeli official who has been involved in the issue in recent weeks.

http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/netanyahu-set-to-hand-over-100-million-in-palestinian-tax-money-1.398361

[DCKit]

1. There are two Liebermans that EVERYONE should get used to ignoring on a regular basis.

The world would be a much better place.

[Violet_Crumble]

2. Unfortunately, ignoring them doesn't make them go away...

If everyone ignores them, they're more than likely emboldened by the silence to do things that are even more insane and wrong...

[Ken Burch]

3. The Israeli government never had any right to deny Palestine that tax money

n/t.

[Scurrilous]

4. Israel concession on Palestinian funds forced by German submarine deal

German newspaper Welt am Sonntag quotes sources as saying Germany told Israel it could not go ahead with submarine purchase unless political concessions made.

<snip>

"Israel's decision to release frozen public funds to the Palestinians last week came after Germany insisted it did so as a condition for the completion of the sale of a submarine, a German newspaper reported Sunday.

The Welt am Sonntag quoted sources as saying Germany had told Israel it could not go ahead with the purchase of the submarine unless it made political concessions.

According to the report, aides of German chancellor Angela Merkel had confidentially informed leaders of opposition parties in parliament that Israel made a concession before Berlin approved the sale on Wednesday.

On the same day, the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanjahu said 100 million dollars in blocked revenues such as customs duties was being passed over to the Palestinian Authority. Israel had been withholding the funds in protest at Palestine's admission to the United Nations' cultural organization, UNESCO, on October 31.

The sale of the submarine, the sixth from a German high-tech dockyard to the Israeli Navy had been held up for a year."

http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/report-israel-concession-on-palestinian-funds-forced-by-german-submarine-deal-1.399453