10 Jan. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The United States government has warned this Monday that “unilateral actions” by the Israeli authorities against the Palestinian Executive could “exacerbate tensions” in the region.
The US State Department has indicated that these measures “do not favor the interests of a negotiated two-state solution”, despite the fact that it has reiterated Washington’s opposition to the Palestinian request for an investigation before the International Court of Justice (ICJ). , calling said measure “counterproductive”.
“This is part of the reason why we have opposed the Palestinian move in regards to the ICJ, knowing that it could potentially only serve to escalate tensions. That is exactly what has happened,” the ICJ spokesman said. State, Ned Price, at a press conference.
Price has also indicated that the Biden Administration “publicly discouraged the Palestinians from going ahead with this ICJ opinion,” since they did not want tensions to escalate.
The Israeli authorities approved last Friday a round of sanctions against the Palestinian Authority after the success of the Palestinian government for the ICJ to investigate the legality of Israeli settlements in occupied territory.
This decision came after the United Nations General Assembly asked the ICJ, at the Palestinian request, to urgently rule on the “legal status of the occupation” and “annexation” of Palestinian territories by Israel.
The measures include the “seizure” of almost 40 million euros in tax collections that the Israeli government makes on behalf of the Palestinian authorities, as well as the prohibition of the use of the money collected for the families of the individuals accused by Israel of commit terrorist attacks in 2022.
Following these announcements, the Palestinian Prime Minister, Mohamad Shtayé, warned that the sanctions could lead to the “collapse” of the Palestinian Authority, emphasizing that the Palestinians “have the right to complain to the world about the occupation.”
In this sense, he accused Israel of “benefiting from the occupation” and pointed out that “the Palestinian Authority is not receiving regular funding from the United States.”
