Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah with Susanna Terstal, the EU Special Representative for the Middle East Peace Process. (WAFA Images)

RAMALLAH, Thursday, February 28, 2019 (WAFA) – Caretaker Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah called on the international community, especially the European Union (EU), to pressure Israel to stop deducting from the Palestinian tax revenues, stressing that this practice is a political rather than a financial issue.

This came during a meeting Thursday with Susanna Terstal the EU Special Representative for the Middle East Peace Process, at his office in Ramallah, where he briefed her on the daily Israeli violations and the aggression of the Israeli army and settlers in Jerusalem and Hebron’s holy places, settlement expansion and Israel‘s efforts to destroy the two-state solution.

Israel deducted over $11 million from this month’s Palestinian tax revenue bill, which Hamdallah stressed to Terstal is “Palestinian money collected by Israel on our behalf,” prompting the Palestinian government to refuse to accept the rest of the money, which makes around 70 percent of the Palestinian revenues.

Hamdallah said that it is necessary for the European Union to recognize the Palestinian state, to push the peace process forward as demanded by President Mahmoud Abbas at the recent Arab-European summit held in Sharm el-Sheikh.

He praised the ongoing European support for Palestine, saying that although many countries have reduced or stopped their aid to Palestine, the European support has increased both financially and politically.

K.T./M.K.