RAMALLAH, West Bank — The Palestinian president has threatened to stop security coordination with Israel if the country continues to withhold millions of dollars of Palestinian tax revenue, a senior Palestinian official said Sunday.
Nabil Shaath said President Mahmoud Abbas warned European leaders on a trip to Europe last week that Palestinian officials would discuss the matter during a Palestinian central council meeting this week.
Israel has withheld tax revenue from the Palestinians since they joined the International Criminal Court last month.
Shaath said the withheld revenue amounts to $140 million per month for the past two months.
Tax revenue accounts for about 70 percent of the Palestinians’ budget.
The withheld revenue has led the Palestinian government to take out bank loans. For the past two months, it has paid only partial salaries for civil servants.
Palestinian officials said the U.S., European Union and Arab countries have asked the Palestinians to hold off on any decision about canceling security coordination with Israel until after Israeli elections March 17, saying Israel may release the revenue after the elections.
But the Palestinian officials said they were concerned Israel could continue to withhold the tax revenue as a punitive measure through April, when the Palestinians become official members of the International Criminal Court.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations.
Secretary of State John Kerry said Saturday that the U.S. fears that without a cash injection, the Palestinian Authority could collapse.