New financial piracy.. The occupation seizes 149 million shekels from Palestinian 'clearance' funds

These arbitrary measures remain part of the "collective punishment" policy pursued by the occupation

In a step that consolidates the policy of financial blackmail, what is called the "Enforcement and Collection Authority" affiliated with the occupation announced on Tuesday the seizure of 149 million shekels from Palestinian tax funds (clearance).

The occupation authorities explained that these amounts were transferred in favor of families of Israeli killed and injured, based on local court rulings, which deepens the suffocating financial crisis engulfing the Palestinian national institutions.

These measures are based on what is known as the "Terror Victims Compensation Law", where the seized amounts were distributed to 124 files related to operations carried out by Palestinians between 2001 and 2024.

The occupation authorities claim that the Palestinian Authority's payment of allowances to prisoners and families of martyrs justifies imposing direct financial liens on its funds held by the Ministry of Finance in the occupation government.

Among the prominent cases covered by the seizure is a case filed against the Palestine Liberation Organization dating back to 2001, where an "Israeli" court recently ruled compensations worth 10 million shekels.

The liens also affected amounts linked to operations that occurred in "Beit Israel" and the "Moment" café, and buses in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv during the Second Intifada years, up to recent operations witnessed in West Bank settlements in 2023.

This deduction comes at a time when the occupation authorities are withholding about 4 billion dollars from clearance funds with various accumulations, which has led to near-total paralysis in the Palestinian Authority's ability to fulfill its obligations.

Economic reports indicate that public sector employees' debts and unpaid dues have exceeded 4.26 billion dollars, which portends an imminent living and social collapse in the occupied territories.

Human rights activists see that using the occupation's judicial and administrative system to seize these funds represents a blatant violation of international financial agreements, including the economic "Paris Protocol".

Transferring tax funds, which are an absolute right of the Palestinian people, into compensations for settlers reflects a trend to turn political pressure into an open economic war aimed at undermining any chance for stability.

These arbitrary measures remain part of the "collective punishment" policy pursued by the occupation, where it attempts to barter financial rights with political positions, amid international silence that fails to curb the Israeli rampage on Palestinian resources