PA confirms receipt of NIS 370m. in tax funds from Israel

Transfer comes after Steinitz agrees to release funds on condition money won't go to Hamas; PA official: Int'l pressure on Israel worked.

By JPOST.COM STAFF
Palestinian Flag 311 (photo credit: REUTERS)
Palestinian Flag 311
(photo credit: REUTERS)
The Palestinian Authority on Monday confirmed that it received from Israel about NIS 370 million which were previously frozen by the Israeli government after Hamas and Fatah signed their reconciliation agreement.
PA spokesperson Ghassan Khatib said that the transfer of money from is a "success of the Palestinian campaign that called on the international community to pressure Israel to transfer the funds."
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The commissioner of wages at the PA Finance Ministry, Abd al-Jabar Salem, said that the Authority will pay PA employees their April salaries already today following the receipt of the funds.
The comments come after Israel agreed on Sunday to release millions of dollars in suspended tax transfers to the PA after receiving assurances the money will not fall into the hands of Hamas.
Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz described the two-week freeze of the funds as a "yellow card" to the PA, and warned that if it eventually formed a unity government with Hamas, or if it started funding terrorist activity, Israel would again block the transfers.