The Palestinian Authority (PA) is demanding that Israel pay $360 million in taxes, for 2,000 Israeli businesses which have operated in Area C of Judea and Samaria since the year 2000, i24NEWS reported.
Under the Oslo Accords, Judea and Samaria was divided into three areas: Area A is under full PA security and civil control, Area B is under PA civil control, and Israeli security control, and Area C is under full Israeli security and civil control.
While Arabs live in all three areas, all Israeli towns and businesses are in Area C. Israelis are forbidden to enter Areas A and B, and doing so places their lives in danger and requires that the IDF risk soldiers' lives to extract them.
The PA also demanded that Israel pay it $1.7 million each month in taxes received from the Israeli businesses, and submit a report on those businesses every three months.
According to the report, PA representatives will present their demands on Thursday at a conference for PA donor countries, held on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.
"Israeli companies are profiting from commercial activities in Area C without paying taxes to Palestine," the report said. It also claimed that the "Paris Protocol" requires that Israel tax companies operating in Area C and transfer the monies to the PA.
According to PA claims, the PA loses $360 million annually because Israel "violates" the Paris Protocol.
Israel's Foreign Ministry, Tax Authority, and Finance Ministry refused to respond to the claims.
However, i24NEWS quoted an Israeli official as saying that the PA raised this issue "years ago."
"We asked for data and numbers years ago, and we’re still waiting for answers," the official told i24NEWS.