PALESTINIANS SO CONDEMN

Palestinians hold posters in solidarity with Palestinians jailed
in Israel at a protest in the West

RAMALLAH : Palestinian leaders on Tuesday strongly condemned a new Israeli law that will freeze money transfers to the Palestinians Authority to punish the families of those jailed for attacks.

The move threatens the existence of the cash strapped PA and mounts to ''theft'' said Saib Erekar, secretary general of the Palestine Liberation Organisation.

Both he and spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called it a ''dangerous decision''.

The legislation was approved late on Monday and gives the Israeli government powers to withhold an amount of money based on what is paid to the prisoners and their families by the PA.

Israel collects around $127 million a month in custom duties levied on goods destined for Palestinian markets that transit through Israeli ports, and then transfers it to the PA.

The law known as the "Taylor Force Act", is named after a US military vetran and a graduate student who was killed in 2016 attack while he was visiting Israel, Israel argues that payments to the families of Palestinian jailed for security offences or killed. [AFP]