Israeli releases $517 million from PA taxes

Israeli occupation authorities will release 1.8 million NIS ($517 million) from the tax revenues of the Palestinian Authority (PA) blocked by Israel, Israeli television Channel 13 reported on Friday.

According to several Israeli media outlets, this came following a meeting held between the PA minister, Hussein Al-Sheikh, and the Israeli finance minister, Moshe Kahlon.

Al-Sheikh stated on Friday that he had met with Kahlon on Thursday and discussed “all outstanding issues.”

“The agreement was also on transferring a payment from the #PA’s financial dues,” he tweeted.

READ: Israel transfers $560m of withheld taxes to the PA

He noted in the same tweet that the “dispute [between the PA and Israel] over the salaries of the families of #prisoners and #martyrs is still unresolved.”

However, he stressed, “we are determined to pay their dues at all costs.”

The transfers amount to some $170 million a month, and Israel is to continue withholding $12 million a month, the amount it says goes to the Martyrs’ Fund.

Israel collects some 600 million NIS ($170 million) on behalf of the PA per month, and are a key source of finances for the PA.