Earlier in January, Israel halted its monthly transfers of about $100 million to the Palestinian authority after Abbas has signed a request to join the International Criminal Court (ICC), in order to launch an inquiry into alleged war crimes committed in Palestinian territories.
“I think the countdown for Abu Mazen’s [Mahmoud Abbas] time at power has begun,” Lieberman wrote on Facebook, pledging to do anything so that the Palestinian authorities would not receive any money from Israel, as long as Abbas remains at power.
Lieberman also voiced hope that the United States will join the Israeli sanctions against Palestinian Authority.
On January 8, US Senator Rand Paul introduced legislation to cut off financial aid to Palestinian Authority. According to the legislation, Palestinians get about $400 million assistance from the United States every year. Earlier this month Haaretz reported that Israel was planning to urge US Congressmen to halt financial support to Palestinian Authority in case it files a lawsuit against Israel in the ICC.
“I think that without funding from US and with Israel terminating its money transfers, the administration of the Palestinian Authority will seize existing,” Israeli Foreign Minister concluded.
The Palestinian president signed a request to join the ICC, as well as a number of other international treaties on December 31, 2014, after the UN Security Council failed to pass a resolution on the creation of an independent Palestinian state. Earlier in January, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon announced that Palestine would join the ICC on April 1.
