Israel will not transfer much-needed funds to the Palestinian Authority in the wake of the decision by three European countries to recognize a Palestinian state, the country’s finance minister said on Wednesday, as its foreign minister denounced the European moves as giving “a gold medal to Hamas terrorists.”

The decision by the finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, a far-right leader who opposes Palestinian sovereignty, threatened to push the Palestinian government into a deeper fiscal crisis. He said in a statement that he had informed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he would no longer send tax revenues to the authority, which administers parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank in close cooperation with Israel.

Mr. Smotrich’s office signaled that the decision was at least partly a response to Spain, Norway and Ireland recognizing Palestinian statehood, and that the Palestinian leadership bore responsibility for campaigning for the move.

  • QuantumSpecter@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    14
    arrow-down
    2
    ·
    6 months ago

    Personally, I don’t understand why the US government has continued to fun Israel when it’s clearly failed to become a disaster. They’ve spent over $250 Billion on Israel aid, and it’s failed.

    • Ab_intra@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      15
      arrow-down
      2
      ·
      6 months ago

      Because there is strong lobbies in the US that has direct impact on elections. They are som of the strongest lobbies in the US and are jewish. If one party leader goes against them they will make it so that they lose the next election.

    • Count Regal Inkwell@pawb.social
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      1
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      6 months ago

      (adding to the reasons people already cited: Israel is where the us launches its imperialist attacks on the middle east from, so they have a strategic reason to keep it around)