Ichud Leumi (National Union) Knesset Member Aryeh Eldad on Wednesday accused the government of turning Israel into a “state that supports terror” by the practice of transferring money to the Palestinian Authority. The PA uses part of the funds to pay salaries of Hamas members in Gaza.
“Even [PA Prime Minister] Salam Fayyad admits that 3,500 Hamas members receive salaries from the money, MK Eldad declared. “We should take that money and use it for humanitarian aid to Jews who need food and medicine.”
The Knesset voted 32-8 in favor of his motion to transfer the issue to the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Security Committee for a discussion on his demand that a bill be introduced barring the transfers, which amount to NIS 100 million ($25 million) a month.
Opposing MK Eldad’s suggestion, MK Gilad Erdan (Likud), the government liaison to the Knesset, said that Israel is required by the Oslo Accords to transfer the tax revenue, such as Value Added Tax (VAT) payments on merchandise.
After MK Eldad insisted that the money belongs to Israel, Hadash MK Mohammed Barakeh charged that Israel would be guilty of theft if it were to use the cash for its own purposes.
Israel began freezing the funds after Hamas won PA parliamentary elections but began to release the money following promises from the PA that none of it would reach Hamas.