The Palestinian National Council (PNC) condemned the decision of the Israeli mini cabinet today, which activates the deduction and theft of the allocated allowances amounts for the prisoners, their families, and the allowances of the families of the martyrs and wounded Palestinians. These amounts are tax revenues collected by Israel on behalf of the State of Palestine.

In a statement issued today, PNC said that the decision comes as part of series of measures aimed at undermining the sanctity of the struggle of the prisoners and the wounded, and a pressure on the Palestinian leadership to stop paying the allocations to them. This is a political and financial terrorism practiced by the occupation government to force the Palestinians to accept what is so-called "Transaction of the Century".

PNC stressed that the war of financial sanctions against our people and its leadership, which are shared by the American administration and the Israeli occupation government, is targeting compromising of the inalienable rights of return and independence, and the establishing of a sovereign state with Jerusalem as its capital.

PNC stressed that our people and national institutions will confront this aggressive decision with full capacity, and stressed too that the Palestinian prisoners, are prisoners of war, who struggle for the liberation from occupation and live in dignity in their homeland. PNC asserted on the continued Palestinian institutions to provide full care for prisoners and families of martyrs and wounded.

PNC confirmed that Israel's decision is a serious breach to the signed agreements, which oblige the occupying state to collect the Palestinian revenues against 3% collection fees of the tax revenues. The tax revenues collected is representing more than 50% of the Palestinian treasury's income, which comprises about 70% of the current expenditure of the State of Palestine to cover the salaries of its employees. This Israeli act is considered a theft, extortion and burglary on the funds of the Palestinian people. As such, the Palestinian counterpart will be non-binding of its obligations and will not accept to continue to honor laterally implementation of the agreements with the Israeli occupation.

PNC called upon the countries worldwide and the relevant human rights organizations to shoulder their responsibilities towards the Palestinian prisoners, and confront this punitive Israeli decision, to protect security and stability in the region before it is too late, and to put an end to the occupation's arrogance and its violation of the principles of international law.

PNC called also on the Inter-Parliamentary Union and all parliamentary associations to condemn this decision, which is an interpretation of an apartheid law passed by the Israeli Knesset last July 2018. Therefore, The Israeli parliament is a full partner in all crimes committed against our people and their rights.

PNC further states that articles 81 and 98 of the Geneva Convention require the occupying power (Israel) - which detains protected persons - to support them, provide them with medical care, support the persons to whom the detainees are dependent, and to provide allowances to detainees who may receive subsidies from their state, and provide all facilities to the detainee to send subsidies to his/her family.

PNC points out that while Israel has been occupying our people, especially the martyrs, the prisoners and the wounded, and their families, it provides material and political care to the murderers, Israeli soldiers and terrorist settlers, provides funds to Israeli prisoners and their families, and provides monthly allowances and compensation to Israeli citizens killed or injured in hostile acts Against our people.

We would like to direct your attention that the so-called Israeli Security Cabinet adopted a decision this evening to deduct more than 502 million Israeli shekels from the Palestinian tax revenues collected by the occupation government on behalf of the Palestinian government.