Israeli official: Gov't to transfer $100 million to Abbas by Friday
Last update - 16:51 17/01/2007 Israeli official: Gov't to transfer $100 million to Abbas by Friday By Amos Harel, Haaretz Correspondent, and ReutersIsrael hopes to release nearly $100 million in withheld Palestinian Authority tax revenues to PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas by Friday, part of a U.S.-led push to bolster Abbas, a senior Israeli official said on Wednesday.
Abbas could use the money to help make long-overdue salary payments to Palestinian public sector workers, hard hit by a Western and an Israeli embargo of the Hamas-led government.
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has been under U.S. pressure to take steps to strengthen Abbas in his power struggle with Hamas.
The move is one of a series of steps aimed at strengthening Abbas and easing restrictions on the Palestinians that were announced following the December 24 meeting between Olmert and Abbas.
Since that meeting, Abbas's allies have complained that Israel has been undercutting him by taking its time to deliver on its promises.
Abbas, who met U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in the West Bank city of Ramallah on Sunday, asked Washington to intervene, Palestinian officials said. Rice held talks with Olmert on Monday in Jerusalem.
"We hope to transfer the full amount by Friday," a senior Israeli government official told Reuters of the e100 million in withheld tax revenues pledged by Olmert.
The intervention by the USA will blow up in Americas face and the end result will be more dead Israelis and Palestinians.
Abbas and Olmert are both nothing more than the lap dogs of George Bush and soon both of them will be removed from power.
Olmert by a vote of no confidence in the Knesset and Abbas will be removed from office by violence.
