On video: Bezalel Smotrich: "I made a decision on a broad economic policy"/Knesset Channel
The Norwegian government has announced the completion of the settlement with Israel and the Palestinian Authority under which Israel will transfer to the shift in Norway part of the Palestinian tax money that it refused to transfer to the Authority.
In return, the Palestinian Authority will agree to take the other part that was not offset.
This is an amount of hundreds of millions of shekels that the Palestinian Authority refused to receive from Israel in protest of the offset of the funds.
Finance Minister Hatem Smotritz signed a few days ago the letter to the Norwegian government in which Israel accepts the terms of the settlement.
The Prime Minister of Norway said in a statement that the settlement will help prevent the financial collapse of the Palestinian Authority and will allow the Authority to continue paying salaries and providing services to the residents.
The Prime Minister of Norway stated that the part of the offset funds will be transferred from Israel and will remain in Norwegian custody until it is decided together with Israel that they can be transferred to the Palestinian Authority.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich at a discussion in the Socio-Economic Cabinet, 16.10.2023/Photo processing, Ministry of Finance Spokesperson
The decision was approved by the political-security cabinet in January.
This, after months of delay and despite the opposition of the Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben Gabir, who claimed that there are no sufficient guarantees that the money deposited in Norway will not reach Gaza.
About a month ago, the President of the United States, Joe Biden, demanded that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu release the funds in a difficult telephone conversation they had.
Following the approval in the cabinet, Ben Gvir said: "Unfortunately, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu constantly moves the red line. Sometimes they give fuel, sometimes they give up humanitarian aid in exchange for humanitarian aid, last week they started moving flour trucks and now they are making a decision that does not guarantee that the money will reach the Nazis from Gaza. Unfortunately, even on the right There are those who are still influenced by the concept and, among other things, think that 'good solutions come from Norway'."
In October, the political-security cabinet decided to offset about 40 percent of the tax money that Israel collects for the Palestinian Authority and that it is obliged to transfer to it by virtue of the agreements between the parties.
The decision was made following a demand by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich who claimed that these funds are transferred by the Palestinian Authority to the Gaza Strip and therefore will go to Hamas.
Since that decision, Smotrich refused any compromise on the issue and even threatened that if the funds were transferred to the Palestinian Authority directly or indirectly, he would resign from his position.
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the Palestinian Authority
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