OSLO: Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere has asked Israel to release the full tax transfer it is withholding from the Palestinian Authority (PA), terming the payment extremely important for the welfare the Palestinian population, Western media reported on Monday.
Israel on November 2 said it would move forward with a tax revenue transfer to the Authority in the Israeli-occupied West Bank but would withhold funds bound for Gaza.
It is pertinent to note that Palestinian Authority helps cover public sector wages and pay for electricity.
Israel’s decision came after a cabinet debate over whether or not to make the transfer as Israel bombards the enclave after the October 7.
PA refused to accept a partial transfer
On November 6, the PA refused to accept a partial transfer from Israel. It is projected to spend some 30 percent of its budget in Gaza, where it also pays for medicine and social assistance programmes.
Stoere in an interview with Reuters in Oslo called on Israel to honor the agreed transfer because these are taxes and VAT and financial source of income of the Palestinians Authority.
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According to the latest figures from Palestinian authorities at least 11,240 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli bombing so far. 4,630 children and 3,130 women, were among the dead while another 29,000 people injured.
The continuous Israeli bombardment has also led to the destruction of thousands of buildings, including hospitals, schools, mosques and refugee camps.
