LONDON: The Palestinian Authority on Friday condemned the approval of a set of punitive measures by the Israeli government against the Palestinian people and its leadership, following its decision to go to the International Court of Justice.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates said these measures are a reflection of the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s “racist colonial platform against our people, a flagrant violation of Israel’s obligations as an occupying power, and a persistence in Israel’s rebellion against international law and signed agreements.”
Israel’s new Security Cabinet approved the series of steps, including withholding $39 million from the Palestinian Authority and transferring the funds instead to a compensation program for the families of Israeli victims of Palestinian attacks.
Netanyahu’s office said on Friday that the moves were in retaliation for the Palestinians pushing the UN’s highest judicial body to give its opinion on the Israeli occupation, and it comes a week after the UN General Assembly voted to approve a resolution requesting that the ICJ intervene and render an opinion on the state of the conflict.
“The Foreign Ministry stressed that these and other measures will not discourage our people and our leadership from continuing the struggle and the political, diplomatic and legal action to provide international protection for our people and to put an end to Israel’s continued impunity from accountability, on the way to forcing it to end its occupation of the land of the State of Palestine,” the statement said.
The ministry called on the US administration to “seriously intervene” to stop the implementation of the Netanyahu government’s platforms that are “hostile” to the Palestinian people and to peace.
The Israeli Security Cabinet also reportedly ordered offsetting of the welfare payments made by the Palestinian government to the Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails and the families of those killed by Israeli occupation forces in 2022.
