Cabinet: Israeli measures constitute war crimes to be questioned by international law
The Palestinian Cabinet condemns latest Israeli measures, which include establishing 2,000 settlement units, deplores deducting additional amount of NIS 150 from Palestinian tax funds and clarifies the Palestinian leadership is still waiting for an Israeli response on holding general Palestinian elections in Jerusalem.
In his opening statement, during the weekly Cabinet meeting held in Ramallah today, Prime Minister Dr. Mohammed Shtayyeh condemned Israel for escalating its measures against the Palestinian citizens, their land, and money. “Israel has announced the construction of 2,000 new settlement units and the annexation of Palestinian lands, which have previously been confiscated by Israel for settlement purposes. This constitutes a war crime, which would be subjected to punishment by the international law,” Dr. Shtayyeh stated.
Additionally, Dr. Shtayyeh deplored the latest decision approved by the Israeli Security Cabinet to withhold NIS 150 Million of Palestinian tax funds under the pretext of paying allowances for the families of prisoners and martyrs. “This decision means that the deducted amounts will reach NIS 650 million, which brings us back full circle to the crisis that we tried to overcome wisely in managing public money. Economic indicators came in contrast to all expectations and the pace of GDP growth by the end of 2019 increased by 1.9%,” Dr. Shtayyeh told.
To sum up, Dr. Shtayyeh clarified that the Palestinian leadership is still waiting for the Israeli response, through international mediators, to allow holding elections in Jerusalem. “It is clear that the Israeli procrastination is deliberate, therefore, we demand the international community to pressure Israel to achieve the holding of the elections, which are a national entitlement for all of us,” Dr. Shtayyeh concluded.