From the Liveblog of
Sunday, January 8, 2023
Smotrich formally withholds millions from PA, says he has ‘no interest’ for it to exist
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Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich holds a press conference to formally sign a decree withholding NIS 139 million ($39.6 million) in tax revenue from the Palestinian Authority and redirecting it to families of terror victims, a punitive measure announced over the weekend in response to the PA’s international legal action against Israel.
During the press conference, Smotrich is asked whether he’s concerned the move could bring about the collapse of the PA, answering: “As long as the Palestinian Authority encourages terror and is an enemy, I have no interest for it to continue to exist.”
Hailing a years-long campaign to offset the PA’s regular payments to terror convicts and to families of dead Palestinian attackers, which Israel and others say offer a direct incentive for terror, Smotrich calls it “one of the just struggles not only in doing retroactive justice, but also as a deterrent.”
“There is no solace for the families of those murdered, but there is justice,” Smotrich says.
Ron Alon, a relative of terror victims killed in a Jerusalem attack, calls it “a historic day,” echoing Smotrich’s words about both doing justice for terror victims and potentially deterring future would-be-assailants.
The Times of Israel Community.