Palestine accuses Israel of theft

Palestinian people and leadership continue to face an "unrelenting" barrage of repressive, illegal, and destructive measures by Israel, Permanent Observer of Palestine to the UN has said.
In a letter sent to the UN Chief, Presidents of the Security Council and the General Assembly, Ambassador Riyad Mansour late Monday accused Israel, the "occupying Power," of theft, of Palestinian tax revenues.
The "withholding" of Palestinian tax revenue, said Mansour in his letter of which KUNA received a copy, funds collected on Palestinians behalf by Israel and which they are obliged to transfer to "us" according to signed agreements - constitutes a blatant act of theft and of collective punishment.
He then underscored that these tax revenues constitute the core of the budgetary funding for the governmental institutions, including in terms of education, health, public safety and sanitation.
The announcement by the Israeli government that it is withholding tax revenues in response to Palestine's recent rightful accession to several international conventions and treaties, including the Rome Statute of the ICC, proves illegal, punitive action, he noted.
Mansour, reiterated urgent appeal to the international community, including the UNSC, as well as all relevant organs and bodies of the UN system, to uphold their responsibilities towards addressing this "illegal situation in all its manifestations."