Munich (agencies)
Norway's Prime Minister said yesterday that reaching an agreement to release tax funds allocated to the Palestinian Authority, which Israel withholds, is “imminent.”
Norway plays a mediating role in reaching the agreement.
Under temporary peace agreements reached in the 1990s, the Israeli Ministry of Finance collects taxes on behalf of the Palestinians and makes monthly transfers to the Palestinian Authority. But no amounts have been paid since November, following the outbreak of war last October.
On January 21, Israeli officials said that the Council of Ministers approved a plan to transfer frozen tax funds allocated to the Gaza Strip to Norway, instead of transferring them to the Palestinian Authority. “I would like to say that the talks have concluded, and we are very close to reaching an agreement,” Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre told Reuters, adding that he believed they had been able to reach a compromise.
Stoura said, “I believe that we are trusted by all parties to manage the financial support provided to the Palestinian Authority responsibly.” He added: “This required a lot of diplomatic work between Norway, the Palestinian Authority, Israel and the United States, but I say we came very close, almost.”
Norway played the role of mediator in the talks that took place between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization in the period from 1992 to 1993, which led to the signing of the Oslo Accords.
Norway chairs the group of international donors to the Palestinian territories, known as the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee.
Since Israel has intensified its attacks on Gaza, there have been interest in reviving the ad hoc liaison committee as a potential channel for diplomacy.
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