Israel looks to US congress to cut aid for Palestinians

Israel has also discussed with Canadian officials the possibility of a cut in that country’s funding of the ICC if the tribunal investigates Israeli war crimes in the Palestinian territories.

Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas is pictured before giving a speech during the opening ceremony of the Jerusalem in Memory exhibition in the West Bank city of Ramallah on January 4, 2015. Alaa Badarneh/EPAShow less

JERUSALEM // Israel is looking to a Republican-led US Congress to reduce or cut aid to the Palestinian Authority after its latest unilateral diplomatic moves to gain statehood recognition, an Israeli official said.

Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas signed the Rome Statute on December 31 as a first step toward joining the International Criminal Court and possibly seeking charges against Israeli officials in the global war-crimes tribunal.

Israel has also discussed with Canadian officials the possibility of a cut in that country’s funding of The Hague- based ICC if the tribunal becomes a forum for the Palestinians to threaten Israeli leaders, the official said.

Israel has said unilateral diplomatic moves by the Palestinians will prove fruitless and hinder the peace process. The Palestinians contend that with the collapse of US-brokered peace negotiations last April, they have no choice but to seek statehood legitimacy in global forums as a means of pressuring Israel.

Mr Abbas said on Sunday the Palestinians are also considering resubmitting a resolution setting a deadline for a full Israeli withdrawal from occupied territories that was defeated in the United Nations Security Council last week.

“We didn’t fail, the UN Security Council failed us,” Mr Abbas said. “We’ll go again to the Security Council, why not? Perhaps after a week.”

Israel sees a cut in the annual $440 million US aid to the Palestinian Authority as one possible retaliatory step for its bid to join the ICC, the official said.

Israeli leaders had discussed such measures with US Senator Lindsey Graham when he visited Jerusalem in December. The South Carolina lawmaker becomes chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee later this month when the Republicans take control of the Senate.

Mr Graham also warned during his Israel visit that Congress could seek to cut US funding to the UN if the world body approves unilateral Palestinian statehood moves.

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu last week ordered the suspension of January’s monthly transfer of about $127 million in tax revenues collected on behalf of the Palestinian Authority in response to its ICC application. The Palestinians will have difficulty paying monthly salaries to thousands of public workers without the funds.

* Bloomberg News