Israel to deduct damage caused by kite terrorism from PA taxes ‎- AP and Israel Hayom Staff

by AP and Israel Hayom Staff

Some 7,000 acres of forest and agricultural ‎land on ‎Israeli side of border reduced to ash, causing tens of millions of ‎shekels in ‎damage

A fire burns on the Israeli side of the border over the weekend

Photo: Reuters

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday ordered ‎the National Security Council to explore deducting the value of the damage caused by kite ‎terrorism to communities near the Gaza border from the ‎taxes Israel collects on behalf of the Palestinian ‎Authority.‎

The 1993 Oslo Accords set up a mechanism under which Israel collects value added taxes and ‎customs ‎fees on behalf of the PA, currently about $100 ‎million per ‎month.‎

The Prime Minister's Office did not disclose how ‎‎much would be deducted. Army Radio put the initial ‎‎figure at 5 million shekels ($1.4 million).‎

Video: Dani Ben David, JNF

Israel Fire and Rescue Services said 350 fires have been ‎sparked in communities near the border since the ‎Palestinians launched their incendiary kites‎ ‎campaign in late ‎April.‎

Some 7,000 acres of forest and agricultural ‎land on ‎the Israeli side of the border have been reduced ‎to ash, causing tens of millions of ‎shekels in ‎damage and affecting ‎every community in the area. ‎

Israeli officials said the money deducted from the ‎PA's tax funds would go directly to the communities ‎harmed by the kite terrorism and for the rehabilitation ‎of the flora and fauna in the area. ‎

In early May, a bill that would slash funding to the ‎Palestinian Authority corresponding with the amount it ‎pays out to convicted terrorists and their families ‎passed its first Knesset reading. ‎

AP and Israel Hayom Staff

Source: http://www.israelhayom.com/2018/06/04/israel-to-deduct-damage-caused-by-kite-terrorism-from-pa-taxes-%e2%80%8e/

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