The former Director of the Military Prosecution in Judea and Samaria: “Israel finances 60 percent of the terror against itself and thereby its own persecution.” This happens indirectly with the funds from various tax agreements and other regulations, according to which Israel transfers hundreds of millions of shekels to the Palestinian Authority monthly. Israel urgently needs to rethink its approach, as the political systems in the world are changing and this is working against Israel.
While the fighting in the Gaza Strip and IDF attacks on the northern front against the Hezbollah terrorist organization continue, Israel must also deal with the diplomatic front as the Palestinian Authority (PA) continues to incite against the Jewish state in international forums.
Maurice Hirsch. Photo: Olivier Fitoussi/Flash90
Lt. Col. (res.) Maurice Hirsch, a lawyer and former top IDF military advocate, is a recognized expert on international law and director of the Initiative for Palestinian Authority Accountability and Reform in the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs. In an interview with Channel 14 a few weeks back, he commented on what Israel should expect from the world in the near future, and a recommended change in Israeli policy towards the UN. “I do not see the benefit of our continued presence in such institutions that do not even consider Hamas a terrorist organization,” he stressed.
Already in the first months of the war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, South Africa announced its intention to sue Israel at the International Court of Justice in The Hague for violating the “Conventions on the Prevention of Genocide.” But it is not only South Africa’s genocide charges, but now also the decision by a number of nations in recent months to recognize the non-existent “State of Palestine”—”and this process is detrimental to Israel,” Hirsch emphasized.
According to the legal expert, the judges at the ICJ have begun making decisions and giving instructions that were not even requested by South Africa and the Palestinians: “It is becoming more complicated, and the State of Israel itself continues to cooperate on the matter, instead of withdrawing from international agreements. It was right to cooperate initially, but as soon as the president of the court changed and now Lebanese Judge Nawaf Salam is setting the tone, we have nothing more to do there—sad as it may sound.”
Hirsch went on to address the “State of Palestine’s” request to join the lawsuit against Israel in The Hague: “One must remember that those who finance most of the activities of the Palestinian Authority and its accession to this accusation is the State of Israel itself. In the meantime, we simply continue the financing. If the PA spends 100 shekels against Israel, the State of Israel finances 60 percent of it.”
According to Hirsch, “It is incredible that the Israeli government finances its own persecution. We must stop and reconsider whether it makes sense to continue down this path.”
He also addressed the open criticism of the State of Israel toward UN institutions and the possible change in its policy vis-a-vis the nations of the world: “I would like to see a change, as an integral part of the fight against Hamas and the terrorist organizations led by Iran, which exploit UN institutions like UNRWA. It is not possible that we are hit daily, but go on with business as usual.”
