The Israeli elections that will take place tomorrow is an internal Israeli matter despite the fact that the election campaigns came at the expense of Palestinian lands and people, today said Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh.
“We consider these (Israeli) elections an internal matter even though all their election campaigns were at the expense of our lands and people, and the parties were competing over grabbing more of the Palestinian lands for the settlement expansion,” said Shtayyeh speaking at the opening of the weekly cabinet meeting held in Ramallah.
“Therefore we condemn these frantic campaigns against our land, our holy places and our people, and we call on the world to act to stop all these violations,” he added.
Shtayyeh said that while Israel used to deduct over $12 million every month from the Palestinian clearance tax funds claiming it was equivalent to the allowances the Palestinian Authority pays to Palestinians imprisoned by Israel for their resistance of the occupation, Israel this month deduced almost $16 million from the fund as it added the allowances paid to the wounded and families of Palestinian martyrs killed by Israel.
The Prime Minister called on the Arab and international parties, including the United States, to resume their financial aid to the Palestinian Authority to help it overcome more than $1 billion projected deficit.
Shtayyeh also denounced the Israeli ill-treatment of Foreign Minister Riyad Malki and his delegation upon their return to the West Bank through the border crossing with Jordan following a visit to and meetings with the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court in The Hague and the Israeli decision to revoke the VIP permit of the foreign minister.
“This extortion will not prevent justice from taking its course,” he said.
