Mahmoud Abbas rejects tax transfer from Israel


Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas said on Sunday he will not accept hundreds of millions of dollars in tax revenues from Israel, since the government kept one-third of the amount to pay for services like electricity and water.
"We are returning the money," Abbas said at a rally in Ramallah. "Either they give it to us in full or we go to arbitration or to the ICC [International Criminal Court]. We will not accept anything else." Israel collects taxes on behalf of the Palestinian Authority, the BBC reports, but stopped making transfers in January when the Palestinians joined the ICC.
Israel's government announced in March that it would start making payments again, but said it would make deductions to cover the cost of services provided to the Palestinians. Abbas said he will take Israel to the ICC unless all of the money collected is released.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
Larry Ellison: the billionaire’s burgeoning media empire
In the Spotlight Oracle founder’s takeover of traditional and new media companies labelled ‘dangerous for democracy’ by US press watchdog
-
Budget-friendly Alpine escapes: the best ski resorts in Austria
The Week Recommends Expect fewer tourists and plenty of snow in the stunning Austrian Alps
-
Megabatteries are powering up clean energy
Under the radar They can store and release excess energy
-
Millions turn out for anti-Trump ‘No Kings’ rallies
Speed Read An estimated 7 million people participated, 2 million more than at the first ‘No Kings’ protest in June
-
DOJ indicts John Bolton over classified files
Speed Read Continuing the trend of going after his political enemies, Trump prosecutes his former national security adviser
-
Trump, Putin set summit as Zelenskyy lands in DC
Speed Read Trump and Putin have agreed to meet in Budapest soon to discuss ending the war in Ukraine
-
Courts deal setbacks to Trump’s Chicago operations
Speed Read President Donald Trump cannot deploy the National Guard in Illinois
-
Pentagon reporters turn in badges after refusing rules
Speed Read They refused to sign a restrictive new press policy imposed by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth
-
Supreme Court points to gutting Voting Rights Act
speed read States would no longer be required to consider race when drawing congressional maps
-
Trump says he authorized covert CIA ops in Venezuela
Speed Read He is also considering military strikes inside the country
-
‘Vile, racist’ leaked chats roil Young Republicans
Speed Read Leaders of Young Republican groups made racist, antisemitic and violent comments in private chats