BICOM

What happened: Israel’s new Security Cabinet convened for its first meeting and issued a range of responses to the Palestinian Authority’s (PA) decision to target Israel in international forums.

• Following a Palestinian initiative, the UN General Assembly passed a resolution for the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to open an investigation into Israel’s “prolonged occupation, settlement and annexation of Palestinian territory.”
• In response, the Security Cabinet decided:
  • To use around NIS 139 million (£23.6m) of PA tax funds to compensates the families of victims murdered in Palestinian terrorist attacks, offsetting the payments made by the PA to terrorists and their families last year.
  • To prevent illegal Palestinian construction plans in Area C (where, according to the Oslo agreements, Israel retains full civil and security control).
  • To revoke Palestinian officials’ VIP access if they are leading the political and legal campaigns against Israel.

• Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich commented yesterday saying, “Nothing could be more just than deducting funds from the PA, which acted in support of terrorism, and to turn them over to victims of terrorism. The government of Israel is changing its policies, and on this day we are beginning to make a correction. There isn’t any consolation here for the families of the murdered, but there is justice.”
• Yesterday Israel suspended Palestinian foreign minister’s Riyad al-Maliki’s VIP pass. He was briefly detained when entering via Jordan and his VIP travel card confiscated.
• Last week Karim Younis, the longest-serving security prisoner in Israel, was released from prison. An Israeli-Arab affiliated with Fatah, he was convicted in 1983 for the murder of IDF soldier Avraham Bromberg.
• Since his release there have been days of celebration in his village of Arara in northern Israel, where he has been visited by prominent religious and Arab political figures. Three PA officials who visited him also had their VIP travel documents revoked.
• In addition, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has also instructed police to remove Palestinian flags from public spaces, seen prominently amid the celebrations in Arara.

Context: The new government is emphasising zero tolerance for support for terrorism and lawfare initiatives that seek to delegitimise Israel in international forums.

• Israeli law does not outlaw Palestinian flags, but police and soldiers have the right to remove them in cases where they deem there is a threat to public order. Under Ben-Gvir’s leadership, the definition of “a threat to public order” could be more broadly interpreted.
• In addition, the family of the murdered Bromberg are appealing to Interior Minister Aryeh Deri to rescind Karim’s Israeli citizenship.
• Palestinian officials are concerned that the withholding of the tax income will have an adverse effect on the Palestinian economy, which is already struggling to meet its commitments in paying public service employees.
• As of now the Palestinian security forces are maintaining security coordination with the IDF, as both sides share concern over Hamas, Islamic Jihad and Iranian efforts to activate terror cells in the West Bank. However, some Israeli officials are concerned that the PA will be less motivated to make arrests and take action against terrorists. 

Looking ahead: Israel has not yet decided what its approach will be to the ICJ, or if further steps will be taken against the PA.

• Similarly, the PA is also assessing its next move and whether to ramp up further pressure on Israel by looking to join other international forums.

• Israel will face similar challenges Younis’s cousin, Maher Younis, and his co-conspirator released from prison next week as scheduled.