PA said to accept transfers of taxes collected by Israel

The Palestinian Authority (PA) is reportedly set to resume receiving transfers of tax revenues collected by Israel on its behalf, Israel Hayom reported i24 News saying.

The PA stopped receiving transfers since May, when President Mahmoud Abbas said he was suspending all agreements with Israel in protest against the occupation state’s plan to annex wide swathes of the occupied Palestinian West Bank.

On Sunday, Secretary-General of the Palestinian Council of Ministers Amjad Ghanem denied the reports, insisting the PA will continue to refuse the funds until Israel agrees to its demands such as easing restrictions on the movement of goods and people between the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

“We hope that we will win the political battle with the occupation and have the ability to recover the funds for compensation and end political blackmail,” Ghanem told Palestinian outlet Watan News.

Israel has so far collected 2.5 billion shekels ($0.74 billion) for the Palestinian Authority, which is used to fund the PA’s civil servants and West Bank officials.

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