U.S. State Department spokesman Ned Price on Monday described a series of Israeli measures meant to curb and punish Palestinian Authority support for terrorism as a “unilateral move” that “exacerbates tensions.”
Israel’s Security Cabinet last week approved the measures in response to what it described as the Palestinian Authority’s ongoing “political and legal war” against the Jewish state. The previous week, the U.N. General Assembly, at the urging of the P.A., passed a resolution calling on the International Court of Justice to “render urgently an advisory opinion” on Israel’s “prolonged occupation, settlement and annexation of Palestinian territory.”
“We have continued to make the point that unilateral actions that threaten the viability of a two-state solution, unilateral actions that only exacerbate tensions—those are not in the interests of a negotiated two-state solution,” said Price.
He added that Washington has “been consistent in our own strong opposition to the request for an ICJ advisory opinion concerning Israel…. We believe this action was counterproductive.”
As part of the measures, Israel on Sunday transferred $39.5 million of taxes and tariffs collected for the P.A. to the victims of terrorism and their families.
At a press conference, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said, “We promised to fix this, and today we are correcting an injustice. This is an important day for morality, for justice and for the fight against terrorism. There is no greater justice than offsetting the funds of the Authority, which acts to support terrorism, and transferring them to the families of the victims of terrorism.” Read More …
Opinion: You really cannot make this up. The US State Department is upset that the new Israeli minister, Bezalel Smotrich, cancelled US payments to Arab Palestinians that would be used to support imprisoned terrorists and their families. Feel free to read that again.
- ON April 24, 2018 President Donald Trump cancelled payments to imprisoned Palestinians terrorists and their families
- On April 7, 2021 President Joe Biden re-instated payments of $235m to Palestinian terrorists and their families
Ned Price is concerned that by cancelling payments, the two state solution that exists only in the minds of secular progressives, would be threatened.
Newsflash: The Arabs do not want a two state solution and have proven so since 1947 when it was offered one on a silver platter. The Arab mantra: “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free”, often tweeted by US Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib, should be proof enough but for those of you who don’t know, “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” is a phrase used by those who call for the elimination of Israel altogether.
“They shall be called the Territory of Wickedness,
And the people against whom the Lord will have indignation forever.” Malachi 1:4
