World View: Israel Withholds Tax Revenues from the Palestinian Authority

This morning’s key headlines from GenerationalDynamics.com

• High police support for Greece’s neo-Nazi Golden Dawn party
• Failure of America’s global anti-nuclear policies
• Israel withholds tax revenues from the Palestinian Authority

High police support for Greece’s neo-Nazi Golden Dawn party

The Golden Dawn symbol appears on a flag held by a party member (Reuters)

Several months ago, a Greek newspaper reported that polling stationsin Athens that had a high percentage of police officers voting tendedto have extremely high votes for the far-right Golden Dawn party.(“Far right” has a different meaning in Europe than in America.)Al-Jazeera did a follow-up analysis and largely confirmed the claimthat Athens policemen were voting disproportionately for Golden Dawn.This finding supports the claim that Athens police are doing nothingto stop Golden Dawn’s neo-Nazi violence tactics against immigrants,including legal immigrants. To Vima (Athens) and Al-Jazeera

Failure of America’s global anti-nuclear policies

For decades, America has pursued global antinuclear policies. Nopolicy in American history — not the Monroe Doctrine, not liberalinternationalism, not containment — has had more widespread,bipartisan support in domestic politics, or more energetic backing.Nonetheless, the policy failed, and today nine countries (India,Pakistan, China, North Korea, Israel, France, Britain, U.S., Russia)have nuclear weapons. Eight have modernized their nuclear arsenals,with weapons of longer range and with a diverse menu of delivery meansand warhead types. The one exception is the United States. Foreign Policy Research Institute (PDF)

Israel withholds tax revenues from the Palestinian Authority

Jewish settlements in West Bank near Jerusalem (Reuters)

Israel is receiving worldwide criticism after announcing on Sundaythat it would withhold more than $100 million in tax revenue fromthe Palestinian Authority (PA). This is PA money that Israelcollects at border crossings on behalf of the PA and normally paysto the PA each month.

Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz said on Sunday said that the move is aresponse to the successful application of the Palestinian Authority tothe United Nations General Assembly to create a state of Palestinewith non-member observer status. According to Steinitz:

“I have no intention of transferring the taxes due tothe Palestinian Authority this month. They will be used to pay thePalestinian Authority’s debts to the Israel Electric Corporation.

[The United Nations resolution] is a Palestinian provocation andan attempt to advance their state without recognizing Israel. Wesaid this wouldn’t pass quietly.”

The Palestinians owe Israel’s electric company over $200 million, andthe company has threatened to cut off the PA’s electricity.

Sunday’s action comes a day after Israel announced plans to build 3,000new settlement homes in the West Bank. Israel’s prime ministerBenjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday:

“The response to the attack on Zionism and the Stateof Israel must reinforce the colony plan in all areas thegovernment decides.

Today we are building and we will continue to build in Jerusalemand in all areas that are on the map of the strategic interests ofthe State of Israel.”

The new proposed settlements are in the “E-1 area,” and would be afive-square-mile project that would largely cut off the West Bank fromArab neighborhoods, substantially complicating the “peace process”talks, which have been dead for years anyway. AFP and LA Times

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