At the end of last week, the Israeli Security Cabinet decided on a series of sanctions to be imposed on the Palestinian Authority following the Palestinians’ appeal to the Court of Justice in The Hague for a legal opinion on the “legality of the occupation” and following an appeal to the Security Council after the visit .of National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir to the Temple Mount
Among the sanctions imposed on the PA:: revoking the PA vip certificates of senior officials who lead the political struggle against Israel, freezing Palestinian construction in Area C in the West Bank, transferring 139 million NIS of PA funds to Israeli victims of terrorism and offsetting funds of the PA payments to terrorists and their families according to the report of the security establishment.
Defense Minister Yoav Galant ordered to revoke the entry permits of three senior members of the Fatah movement who came from Ramallah to the home of a senior member of Fatah in Ara village , the released terrorist Karim Younes, to congratulate him on his release from prison.
The Israeli sanctions were not very severe and did not deviate from the recommendations of the security establishment. Prime Minister Netanyahu restrained the demands of cabinet ministers who demanded more extreme measures. He ordered the formation of a team that together with him would decide on the next steps, the members of the team are ministers Yoav Galant, Bezalel Smotrich, Eli Cohen and Ron Dermmer.
The sanctions imposed on PA officials do not include PA Chairman Abu Mazen, Civil Affairs Minister Hussein al-Sheikh, and Majed Faraj, the head of Palestinian intelligence.
“Prime Minister Netanyahu is careful not to take action against them because they are Biden administration favorites and those responsible for the civil and security coordination with Israel, which is .not looking for a conflict with the American administration”, explains a senior political official
Senior officials in the PA say that the sanctions imposed by Israel on the PA will not deter it and will not prevent it from turning to the International Criminal Court in The Hague.
PA Chairman Abu Mazen said at the end of last week:
“We will firmly confront the serious violations initiated by the new Israeli government together with the extremist settler groups”.
The PA fears that the Netanyahu government is gradually leading to the dissolution of the PA and the annexation of areas C according to the ideology of religious Zionism.
According to PA sources, the economic sanctions imposed by Israel and the ban on Palestinian construction in Area C will weaken Abu Mazen’s rule and this is a new phase in Israeli policy that was not customary in previous governments, this could lead to the collapse of the PA and damage the security coordination between the Shin Bet and the IDF and the security forces of the Palestinian Authority.
This reflects that the new right-wing government treats the Palestinian Authority as an “enemy”, as Gilad Erdan, Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, defined it in his speech in the Security Council.
Palestinian Finance Minister Shukri Bashara claimed last November that Israel holds more than two billion dollars from the PA’s tax money, which could lead to the PA’s collapse and affect the payment of salaries to tens of thousands of PA officials who are the backbone of Abu Mazen’s rule.
According to senior officials in Jerusalem, “Israel does not intend now to bring about the collapse of the Palestinian Authority, but it wants to collect a political price from it for its appeal to the International Court of Justice in The Hague and the Security Council”. says a senior political official.
The Netanyahu government must change the paradigm, the PA leadership interpreted the economic and civil concessions that the Lapid-Ganz government gave it as Israeli weakness and abused them, it allowed the armed terrorist groups to take control of the northern West Bank and continued anti-Israeli political activity in every possible arena.
A strong hand must be taken against the PA but cautiously as long as no political decision has been made to end the PA Chairman’s rule, but the political echelon must also impose personal sanctions on PA Chairman Abu Mazen who enjoys the benefits of the PA and is
leading the political campaign against the State of Israel.
Abu Mazen chose the path of political struggle, incitement against Israel and encouragement of the popular resistance, including incitement of the Arabs of Israel and Israel must take measures against him.
