Israel Matzav

Stupid Jews give Fatah and Hamas $100+ million; Noam Shalit slams them

I've been meaning to tell you all day long that our weak-kneed government caved in to 'international pressure' and transferred NIS 370 million (a bit more than $100 million) in tax revenues to the 'Palestinian Authority' on Monday. As a result, I find myself agreeing with Noam Shalit - father of kidnapped IDF soldier Gilad Shalit - for a change.

"Today, after the reconciliation deal signed between Fatah and Hamas and the renewal of the Palestinian Authority's sovereignty over the Gaza Strip, the PA actually is responsible for the kidnapped Israeli soldier held by his captors, who are also part of the new government set to be formed. They are holding a hostage for the purposes of extortion and bargaining," Schalit said.

Schalit said that the Palestinian Authority, together with Hamas, was now guilty of "a clear war crime."

"Unfortunately we received no explanation of why the tax funds were transferred to the Palestinian Authority given these facts," Schalit said.

Shalit is right. With the Hamas-Fatah reconciliation, the charade that there is a separation between Hamas and Fatah is over. Giving money to Fatah is giving money to Hamas. End of story. And the 'Palestinians' know it.

PA spokesperson Ghassan Khatib said that the transfer of money from is a "success of the Palestinian campaign that called on the international community to pressure Israel to transfer the funds."

Meanwhile, the Netanyahu government pretends that the money won't reach Hamas.

The comments come after Israel agreed on Sunday to release millions of dollars in suspended tax transfers to the PA after receiving assurances the money will not fall into the hands of Hamas.

Money is fungible. Those 'assurances' are meaningless.

And Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz followed up with another empty threat.

Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz described the two-week freeze of the funds as a "yellow card" to the PA, and warned that if it eventually formed a unity government with Hamas, or if it started funding terrorist activity, Israel would again block the transfers.

Until the next time the Europeans demand that we give the money to the 'Palestinian Authority'? What could go wrong?

Labels: Binyamin Netanyahu, Gilad Shalit, Hamas-Fatah reconciliation, Noam Shalit, Palestinian tax transfers, Yuval Steinitz

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 7:52 PM