US officials and Israeli president blast withholding of Palestinian tax revenues

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jan/06/us-israel-reuven-rivlin-palestinian-tax-revenues
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The decision by Binyamin Netanyahu to order the withholding of Palestinian tax revenues in response to Mahmoud Abbas’s application to join the international criminal court has been sharply criticised by Israel’s president and the US, as well as senior Palestinian figures.

Although Washington remains strongly opposed to last week’s signing by Abbas of the Rome Treaty – which governs the international court of last resort - the Department of State issued a statement condemning the decision to freeze the transfer of $127m (£83m) in tax revenues.

“We conveyed to the Israelis that freezing the tax revenues is an action that raises tensions,” the department spokesman Jen Psaki told reporters at a daily briefing on Monday. “We oppose any actions that raise tensions and we call on both sides to avoid it.”

Psaki, however, also said it was within the power of Congress – where, from Tuesday, both houses will be led by the Republican party – to order cuts in the $440m aid the US sends to the Palestinian Authority if it continued with moves to join the court. That follows the passing of legislation in Congress making US aid dependent on the Palestinian territories not joining the ICC.[/b

Huh???