Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich ordered the seizure of 100 million shekels ($26 million) in tax revenues meant to be transferred to the Palestinian Authority and instead be disbursed to Israeli victims of Palestinian terror.
Smotrich tweeted that the move was in retaliation for the Palestinian Authority’s “pay for slay” stipends to imprisoned terrorists and to the families of Palestinians killed while carrying out attacks.
“The struggle against terror is not just a military struggle, but also a fight that includes a war against the wild incitement of the Palestinian Authority and the terrorist funds which it directs from its budget to the families of terrorists,” Smotrich tweeted on Sunday.
The announcement came on the heels of an unprecedented hearing at Israel’s High Court of Justice on Sunday, where the Palestinian Authority petitioned the court to overturn Knesset legislation allowing victims of Palestinian terror to more easily claim financial compensation from the PA. The PA has never directly petitioned Israel’s High Court before.