Israel approves measures for Palestinians after leaders meet

JERUSALEM — Israel’s defence curate approved a raft of measures aimed astatine improving relations with the Palestinians connected Wednesday pursuing a uncommon gathering with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas successful Israel.

Defense Minister Benny Gantz met with Abbas astatine his backstage residence successful a Tel Aviv suburb precocious Tuesday night. It was the archetypal clip Abbas met an Israeli authoritative wrong Israel since 2010. The 2 discussed information coordination betwixt Israel and Abbas’ Palestinian Authority, which administers pockets of the occupied West Bank.

Gantz’s bureau said helium approved “confidence-building measures” including the transportation of taxation payments to the Palestinian Authority, the authorization of hundreds of permits for Palestinian merchants and VIPs, and approving residency presumption for thousands of Palestinians successful the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

Israel collects hundreds of millions of dollars worthy of taxes connected behalf of the PA arsenic portion of the interim bid agreements signed successful the 1990s.

The taxation transfers are a cardinal root of backing for the cash-strapped Palestinians, but Israel has withheld funds implicit the PA’s outgo of stipends to thousands of families that person had relatives killed, wounded oregon imprisoned successful the conflict. Israel says the payments incentivize terrorism, portion the Palestinians accidental they supply important enactment to needy families.

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett is opposed to Palestinian statehood. His authorities has shown nary involvement successful reviving bid talks, which broke down much than a decennary ago, but has said it wants to trim tensions by improving surviving conditions successful the West Bank. Recent months person seen a surge successful unit by Israeli settlers against Palestinians successful the West Bank and Palestinian attacks connected Israelis successful eastbound Jerusalem and the West Bank.

Gantz’s gathering with Abbas — the 2nd successful the six months since Bennett’s conjugation authorities took bureau — drew vocal disapproval from Israeli absorption lawmakers, including erstwhile premier curate Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party, the largest successful parliament.

The Palestinians question an autarkic authorities that includes each of the West Bank, eastbound Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip, areas Israel captured successful the 1967 Mideast war.

Hamas seized Gaza from Abbas’ forces successful 2007, a twelvemonth aft the Islamic militant radical won a landslide triumph successful parliamentary elections. Gaza has been nether an Israeli-Egyptian blockade since then.