Official says Israel to proceed with plans to sanction Palestinian Authority officials

WASHINGTON — Israel will move forward with initial plans to sanction senior Palestinian Authority officials after it appeared to have held off doing so last month, an Israeli official tells reporters in a briefing from Washington.

The stripping of VIP permits from PA officials, which would limit their movement in the West Bank and prevent them from entering Israel, was one of the moves that Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced would be taken against Ramallah over its support for dragging Israel before international tribunals and for countries recognizing a Palestinian state.

Smotrich sought to impose the punitive measures, along with steps to massively expand Israel’s footprint in the West Bank, as part of a quid pro quo that saw the finance minister agree to partially release hundreds of millions of dollars in Palestinian tax revenues that he has been withholding from the PA.

While the settlement expansion moves were ultimately advanced, the sanctions against the PA were not.

However, the official briefing reporters says the sanctions will still be implemented. “It takes time,” they say.