Secret money transfers from Israel to PA revealed

Israeli newspaper Israel Hayom reported that the defence establishment and Finance Ministry in Tel Aviv “are operating a secret, extra-budgetary fund through which money is transferred to the Palestinian Authority.”

According to the newspaper, the money is being transferred through a channel which was not known until now, and that it was revealed in “the state’s answer to the Supreme Court in response to a petition filed by the Kohelet Policy Forum. State’s attorney Yael Morag Yako-El wrote that Israel had committed to transferring the Palestinians a ‘loan’ of NIS 100 million ($28.86 million).” This was not in the budget and the fund was revealed to be managed by the Civil Administration and Finance Ministry’s Budgets Department.

READ: 3 Palestinians injured by Israeli fire in West Bank

The newspaper noted that a month ago, the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Security Committee held an extensive discussion about payments to the Palestinians, and despite the participation of ten representatives from the Israeli government, including the Civil Administration, the Ministry of Finance and others, this information was not disclosed and was instead covered up.