PLO officials dub measure an "act of piracy, blackmail," PLO's Amireh says decision not a surprise following statehood bid.
By KHALED ABU TOAMEHOrient House 311(photo credit: REUTERS)
Palestinian officials in Ramallah Sunday strongly denounced the Israeli government's decision to withhold tax revenues belonging to the Palestinian Authority, dubbing it an "act of piracy and blackmail."The officials expressed hope that the Arab countries would now fulfill their pledge to provide the PA with $100m. per month to compensate for the loss of the tax funds.PLO Executive Committee member Hana Amireh said that Arab League foreign ministers were scheduled to meet on December 9 to discuss ways of supporting the PA in wake of the Israeli decision. Amireh said that the decision did not come as a surprise to the PA leadership in light of its insistence on applying for the status of non-member observer state in the UN.He said that Israel was now in conflict not only the Palestinians, but all the countries that voted in favor of the statehood bid at the UN.
