Spain, Norway to help compensate Palestinians for withheld tax revenues

Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares said on September 17 that Spain will work with Norway “to put a fund on the table” to help compensate the Palestinian government in the West Bank for tax revenue being withheld by Israel.

“Israel is trying to annihilate the idea and possibility of a Palestinian state with bombs in Gaza in a veritable massacre,” Albares said during a visit to Egypt, Caliber.Az reports via Arab News. 

In February 2024, Norway announced it would transfer tax funds to the Palestinian Authority (PA) that had been frozen for months due to a dispute with Israel.

Israel collects taxes and customs on behalf of the PA, which administers parts of the West Bank and also contributes to public services in Gaza.

Following Hamas’ attack on October 7, which triggered the war in Gaza, Israel has periodically withheld these transfers. Far-right Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has justified the action, saying the funds were being used "to support terror."

By Sabina Mammadli