OAN’s Brooke Mallory
12:03 PM – Friday, December 29, 2023
Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister of Israel, is allegedly under pressure from U.S. President Joe Biden to send tax money to the Palestinian Authority (PA), which Israel collects on its behalf but has halted since the October 7th terror attacks.
Political reporter Barak Ravid of the Axios outlet revealed on Thursday that Biden and Netanyahu had a very “difficult conversation” the previous weekend.
“Israel’s Finance Minister, Bezalel Smotrich, in October decided to suspend the transfer of all of the tax revenue funds after the Hamas terrorist attack. But the Israeli government said that it would transfer all the funds except for those it says go to Hamas-run Gaza. The PA, however, has refused to accept a partial transfer of the funds, raising concerns in the Biden administration about a potential economic collapse of the Palestinian Authority,” Ravid explained.
The terror assaults on October 7th have not been condemned by the PA, while anti-Israel sentiment has persisted in Palestinian media. Furthermore, the PA still provides stipends to terrorists who are detained by Israel as well as to the families of terrorists whom Israel has taken out.
Without funds, the PA runs the risk of collapsing and causing chaos in the West Bank, which might put Israel in danger. Although the PA and Israel may not always work together on security issues, they consecutively keep hostilities from breaking out.
Although Biden has verbally backed Israel in its fight against Hamas, he has also made Israel’s job harder by insulting the country’s retaliation efforts, pressuring it to instead provide humanitarian supplies that Hamas ultimately controls, while insisting that the PA return to Gaza after the conflict.
Iran purportedly supports and arms Hamas as well as other terror organizations, yet the United States has caved to Iran in their demand of billions of dollars in ransom for Americans who are captured. The Biden administration is also still pursuing a nuclear agreement with the Iranian government, at least in principle.
Additionally, Biden has put pressure on Israel to refrain from retaliating more forcefully against strikes from Lebanon by the Houthis, who are supported by Iran and causing disruptions to international trade in the Red Sea.
The Taylor Force Act, which was signed into law by then-President Donald Trump in 2019, forbids direct funding of the PA with U.S. taxpayer dollars. The act disallows U.S. support of the Palestinian authority while it continues to provide terrorists with assistance.
Stay informed! Receive breaking news blasts directly to your inbox for free. Subscribe here. https://www.oann.com/alerts