Olmert: Cabinet to okay release of PA tax revenue

[bemildred]

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Tuesday in Washington that the cabinet would on Sunday approve the release of tax revenues collected by Israel on the behalf of the Palestinian Authority.

Speaking after a series of meetings in the White House, including a two-hour session alone with President George W. Bush, Olmert added that the new Palestinian government should be given assistance and a chance to succeed.

"The new Palestinian government deserves a chance, and also assistance," he said.

Olmert said that Israel would also agree to a "more far-reaching" removal of checkpoints in order to increase Palestinian freedom of movement inside the West Bank. Measures will also be taken to bolster the forces loyal to PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, he added.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/872894.html

[Kagemusha]

1. Only on Sunday eh. Figures they're taking their time on it

I can only begin to imagine what kind of excuses will be found to foot-drag.

[bemildred]

2. I'm cautiously optimistic.

Although I expect it will be hard to herd all the cats in the right direction here. Olmert hasn't shown much ability to order the IDF around in the OPT, and he seems uneasy on the throne as it is.

[Eugene]

3. Israel frees funds for Abbas

Source: Reuters

Israel frees funds for Abbas
Sun Jun 24, 2007 12:18PM EDT

By Jeffrey Heller

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel agreed on Sunday to transfer
several hundred million dollars to Palestinian President
Mahmoud Abbas's emergency government, a measure designed
to undercut Hamas Islamists controlling Gaza.

The money, some of the Palestinian tax revenues withheld by
Israel since Hamas won election in 2006, is part of an initial
package of benefits to bolster Abbas that Prime Minister Ehud
Olmert is likely to announce at a summit in Egypt on Monday.

-snip-

An Israeli government official said Olmert's cabinet approved
the transfer of about $350 million, short of the $700 million
the Palestinians say Israel is holding. Israel says courts have
frozen some of the funds to cover Palestinian debts.

-snip-

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSL2446318120070624

[Scurrilous]

4. PMO: Israel will transfer only part of withheld tax revenues to PA

<snip>

"Sources at the Prime Minister's Office said Sunday that the transfer of withheld tax revenues to the Palestinian Authority, approved earlier Sunday, would for the time being include only part of the sum Israel has collected on behalf of the Palestinians.

The cabinet approved on Sunday the partial transfer of the tax revenues, withheld from the Palestinian government since Hamas took power 15 months ago, as part of a series of moves to bolster Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas in the wake of the Hamas takeover of the Gaza Strip.

The partial transfer of the revenues is part of a proposal by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert for restoring normal relations with the emergency Palestinian government headed by independent lawmaker Salam Fayad, including a series of confidence-building measures.

According to sources at the Prime Minister's Office, a timetable for the transfer has not yet been decided, nor has a method for the transfer been devised. They said that "throwing the money all at once would be a wrong move on Israel's part," and that Israel wants to transfer the funds in an orderly and controlled manner.

The sources said they believe the first installment will be transferred within several days, in light of the new Palestinian government's declaration it would honor the demands imposed on it by the Quartet of Middle East peace negotiators. The demands include recognition of Israel, renunciation of terror and abiding by previous Israeli-Palestinian agreements."

http://haaretz.com/hasen/spages/874159.html