At the end of a 45-minute call between President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last Saturday, which centered on the upcoming stage of Israel’s ground operation in the Gaza Strip, the President expressed his apprehensions regarding the delayed Palestinian tax revenues, Barak Ravid reported for Axios Friday morning.
In late October, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich sent Netanyahu a letter with the subject head: “Termination of the transfer of tax money to the Palestinian Authority.” Smotrich explained that since some of the money would go to Hamas in Gaza, and since the PA is yet to condemn the October 7 Massacre, and the PA continues to conduct anti-Israel activities at the International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice, the PA once again proved that it is a terror-supporting organization.
In response, Ramallah declined to receive a partial transfer of the funds, prompting worries within the Biden administration about the potential economic collapse of the Palestinian Authority.
According to Ravid, citing US officials, Biden urged Netanyahu to consider a proposal he had previously raised weeks ago: transferring the withheld tax revenues to Norway for safe keeping until a satisfactory arrangement is reached to address Israel’s concerns about funds reaching Hamas.
The Palestinian Authority has already accepted this proposal and informed the US that, under such an agreement, it is willing to resume accepting the portion of tax revenues that wasn’t withheld.
An informed US official told Ravid that Netanyahu reversed his stance, expressing reservations about the proposed idea. He conveyed to Biden that he no longer considers it a viable option, citing a lack of trust in the Norwegians. Instead, he suggested that the Palestinian Authority should simply accept the partial transfer of funds.
Biden countered, asserting that the US has confidence in Norway, and that it should be sufficient for Israel to trust it well.
Should Bibi trust the Norwegians? According to NGO Monitor, the Norwegian government, via its Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD) provides tens of millions of kroner (NOK) through direct and indirect funding processes to politicized NGOs operating in Israel, the Palestinian Authority, and Gaza. The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) leads massive and unprecedented political campaigns exploiting the Israeli legal system. The Norwegian People’s Aid (NPA) is a Norwegian NGO that promotes allegations of Israeli “apartheid,” “collective punishment,” “war crimes,” and “violations of international law and human rights,” as well as supporting a “Palestinian right of return.” And the Norwegian Church Aid (NCA) is a leading force in the BDS movement.
Finally, Ravid cited US and Israeli officials who reported that Biden told Netanyahu “he should face the hardliners in his coalition on this issue like he is dealing with political pressure from Congress about the war in Gaza.”
According to Ravid, following a brief discussion, Biden conveyed to Netanyahu his expectation that the Israeli Prime Minister address the matter. He concluded the call by stating, “This conversation is over.”
Don’t you just love it when Biden is channeling Obama?
