In light of the expression of support by senior Palestinian Authority figures for the horrific massacres of Hamas, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich is demanding an urgent cabinet discussion regarding the funds transferred to Hamas.
Erdogan at rally in Gaza: "Hamas is not a terrorist organization"
In a letter sent to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Smotrich wrote that he had instructed him to wait until a cabinet discussion in which the question of transferring the funds would be decided.
"The Palestinian Authority has once again proven that it is a terror-supporting organization. Therefore, beyond the connection of these funds to the Gaza Strip and its residents, these funds are used for activities against the State of Israel and its citizens. It is inconceivable that in this reality we will continue to transfer the said funds as if nothing had happened," the letter stressed.
Moreover, the letter noted the steps taken by the Palestinian Authority against Israel in the international arena, calling on the PA to "prosecute Israeli war criminals."
Smotrich writes that "after the terrible massacre carried out by Hamas in the communities near the Gaza Strip on Black Saturday, the Palestinian Authority did not see fit to renounce these barbaric acts, and even senior PA officials expressed support for the terrible massacre. In addition, the Palestinian Authority carries out activity against Israel vis-à-vis the ICC and ICJ [International Courts in The Hague]."
Kellner's letter to Edelstein,
In the letter, he added that Palestinian Authority Foreign Minister Riyad Maliki had appealed to the ICC's chief prosecutor demanding that the court bring "an 'end to Israeli aggression' and prosecute Israeli war criminals."
"Instant braking"
In parallel to Minister Smotrich's demand, the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee held a closed session yesterday on MK Ariel Kellner's demand that the Likud immediately block the transfer of some NIS 900 million that is supposed to reach the Palestinian Authority in November.
The demand comes in light of the war against the terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip and the fact that the PA has not heard any condemnation of the massacre near the Gaza Strip. In a letter sent by the Knesset member to Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee Chairman Yuli Edelstein, he wrote: "These days we must change the 30-year-old concept that has brought us this far. What separates the Palestinian Authority from Hamas in Gaza is what separates Hamas from Nazi Germany – that is, capability alone."
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