MK Aryeh Eldad (National Union) on Sunday slammed the government for its intention to permit the Palestinian Authority to collect import duties and Israeli Value Added Tax (VAT) by itself, in contradiction to signed agreements with Israel. The duties are collected by Israel on goods bound for the PA that enter Israeli ports and transferred to the PA, but the new rule, which the government will vote on Sunday, will allow the PA to collect the money itself. The move is being taken to provide financial assistance to the PA, government officials said.

The government supports the move and Likud ministers plan to approve it. Eldad said that the decision was hypocritical. “The government on the one hand tries to prevent international recognition of the PA, and on the other hand is establishing a state for them. It ignores the boycott of the PA on goods from Judea and Samaria, but it allows foreign governments to build in Area C in violation of the law. All the Likud ministers who pretend to be against a Palestinian state are now shown to be hypocrites,” he said.