WhatsappNetanyahu’s government has come out swinging in its first week in office. While the world has decried Ben Gvir’s visit to the Temple Mount and the US as claimed concern over judicial reform, the real move is the withholding of $39 million dollars of tax revenue to the Palestinian Authority.
This move is being carried out by Finance Minister Betzalel Smotrich and supported by the Prime Minister. Besides the money additional sanctions include a moratorium on Palestinian construction plans in Area C, following illegal take-over attempts by the PA, in opposition to international agreements, denying benefits to VIPs who are leading the political and legal war against Israel, and actions against organizations in Judea and Samaria that promote terrorist activity or any hostile activity, including political and legal action against Israel under the guise of humanitarian work.
The money that was blocked by the Finance Minister is being channeled to the families of terror victims in accordance with a ruling by the courts this past summer.
“We promised to amend, and today we are amending. There is no bigger justice than offsetting. This is not condolence, but this is justice,” stated Smotrich. “The Palestinian Authority has to decide if it wants to exist and stop promoting terrorism or to stop existing. There’s no way that, on the one hand, the PA is a partner, and on the other, it promotes the murder of Israeli citizens.”
Many pundits are worried that the sanctions will collapse the PA. Smotrich responded by saying, “As long as the Palestinian Authority encourages terror and is an enemy, I have no interest for it to continue to exist.”
Smotrich and the rest of the government has pulled no punches. When the left claims the government is leading a revolution – they are correct. After all it is the left that hijacked the Jewish State from its traditional base. Israel needs a real course correction. Bibi assumed that opening the economy would be enough. Now he has finallt realized that in order to prevent a revers on all he has worked for the complete uprooting of the leftist deep state and the PA terror entity must happen. It is clear that the goal is to knock out the left and “palestinian” leadership as fast as possible. So far in just a week and a half they are on pace to accomplish that and then some.
