Palestinians slam fresh Israeli parliament bill on cutting dues

RAMALLAH, March 6 (Xinhua) -- The Palestinians on Tuesday slammed the Israeli Parliament over approval of a bill on cutting the dues from the tax revenue which Israel collects on behalf of the PNA, said source of the Palestinian National Authority.

The bill concerns the dues which the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) pays to the families of the killed Palestinians and to the prisoners, from the tax revenue dues Israel collects on behalf of the PNA.

Right after 52 parliament (Knesset) members voted in favor of the bill and 10 opposed it, the Palestinians stated that the bill "is racist and an illegal measure."

Ahmad Majdalani, member of Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) executive committee, said in a press statement that "the bill is an Israeli piracy to the Palestinian money and it is a clear violation to all the signed agreements."

He added that "the Israeli occupation is stealing the money of the Palestinians."

"Cutting the dues of tax revenues which Israel collects on behalf of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) is a violation of Oslo peace accords," said Majdalani.

The PLO official called for reconsidering the mechanism of transferring the tax revenue dues until severing ties with the Israeli side.

He added that the 1995 Paris Economic Treaty and all other interim agreements have become not accepted and "we should get rid of it."

According to Israeli sources, the seized Palestinian funds will be transferred to a fund earmarked for financing compensation of Israeli cases made against Palestinians from the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

In Gaza, Islamic Hamas movement said in a press statement that Israel's cuts of allowances "is a proof of the brutality of the occupation."

It added that "the Israeli piracy will not break the Palestinian people. Hamas called on the PNA to sue Israel in international forums." Enditem