Is Nazi tax grab a prelude to further hollowing out the Palestinian Authority?
NOVANEWS
Is Israel’s tax grab a prelude to further hollowing out the Palestinian Authority
By Jonathan Cook in Nazareth
Israel’s decision to withhold part of the taxes it collects on behalf of the Palestinian Authority (PA) and plunge it deeper into crisis starkly illustrates the hypocrisies and deceptions at the core of the two governments’ relationship.
Under the terms of what are now the quarter century-old Oslo accords, Israel is responsible for collecting about $200 million each month in taxes, which it is supposed to pass on to the PA, the Palestinian government-in-waiting in the West Bank.
The money belongs to the Palestinians but Israel has temporarily withheld it on several occasions in the past as a stick with which to beat the Palestinian leadership into line.
On this occasion...