Occupation Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said yesterday, Wednesday, that six punitive measures must be taken against the Palestinian Authority to confront its quest to establish a unilateral state and its legal campaign against Israel.
In a report on this issue, the Jerusalem Post newspaper quoted Smotrich as saying, “In the last session of the Council of Ministers, many of them, including me, made an unequivocal request to take harsh punitive measures against the Palestinian Authority because of its unilateral actions against Israel.”
He added that security advisor Tzachi Hanegbi had been assigned to develop an action plan, but pointed out that nothing had been done yet.
Smotrich made these statements shortly after Ireland, Spain and Norway announced their unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state, and two days after ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan announced his intention to pursue arrest warrants against senior leaders of Israel and the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas).
The Israeli minister called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to activate a 6-point plan:
- First, withholding tax fees collected on behalf of the Palestinian Authority.
- Second, accelerate the construction of settlements in the West Bank.
- Third, approving the construction of 3 new settlements whenever a new state recognizes Palestine.
- Fourth, Smotrich insisted that Israel should also cancel the “Norway Agreement” approved in January, under which Norway will retain a monthly tax fee of NIS 270 million allocated to Gaza.
- Fifth, cancel VIP travel permits for senior Palestinian Authority officials.
- Sixth, strengthening already existing settlements.