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December 12, 2012

Israel to Withhold Palestinian Funds over U.N. Vote; Palestinian NGOs Raided in West Bank 
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Israel has confirmed it will withhold Palestinian funds until at least
March in response to the recent vote for Palestinian recognition at the
United Nations. In addition to seizing Palestinian tax revenue, Israel
has also announced a radical West Bank settlement expansion since the
United Nations voted to grant Palestine the status of a non-member
observer state last month. In a speech Tuesday night, Israeli Foreign
Minister Avigdor Lieberman said Palestinians can forget about getting
"even one cent" until March.

Avigdor Lieberman: "What we are doing at the moment, for the next four
months, we will take back our own money. It's not their money, it's
ours. It's our down payments, our payments for their electricity, water
and other services. So, first of all, they can forget about getting even
one cent in the coming four months. First of all, we'll take back what
is ours, and in four months' time we will examine and decide how to
proceed."

The announcement came hours after Israeli forces raided the offices of
three civil society groups in the West Bank city of Ramallah. Entering
overnight, Israeli soldiers broke open the doors of the Women's Union,
the Palestinian NGO Network and Addameer, which works on behalf of
Palestinians in Israeli jails. The invading soldiers badly damaged
computers and furniture.

 

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