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    <title>Aaj TV English News - World</title>
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    <copyright>Copyright 2026</copyright>
    <pubDate>Sat, 16 May 2026 12:07:57 +0500</pubDate>
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      <title>US considers using Palestinian tax funds for Trump’s Gaza rebuild plan</title>
      <link>https://english.aaj.tv/news/330459056/us-considers-using-palestinian-tax-funds-for-trumps-gaza-rebuild-plan</link>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The US is considering asking Israel to give some tax money it is withholding from the Palestinian Authority ​to Donald Trump’s &lt;a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" class="link--external" href="https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/trumps-peace-board-faces-cash-crunch-stalling-gaza-plan-sources-say-2026-04-10/"&gt;Board of Peace&lt;/a&gt; to fund the US president’s post-war plan for &lt;a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" class="link--external" href="https://www.reuters.com/world/israel-hama-at-war/"&gt;Gaza&lt;/a&gt;, five sources familiar with the matter said.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The Trump administration has ‌not yet decided whether to make a formal request to Israel, said three of the sources, officials with knowledge of US deliberations with Israel.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The two other sources, Palestinians with knowledge of the deliberations, said that under the proposal, a portion of the &lt;a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" class="link--external" href="https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israel-use-withheld-palestinian-tax-income-pay-electric-co-debt-2025-01-12/"&gt;tax money&lt;/a&gt; would go to a US-backed transitional government for Gaza and other funds to the PA if it makes reforms.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The PA puts the ​amount of tax being withheld at $5 billion.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The prospect of the Palestinians’ own tax money being repurposed toward Trump’s Gaza rebuilding plan, over which their ​government has had no input, could further sideline the Western-backed PA even as Israel’s withholding of the funds begets a financial ⁠crisis in the occupied West Bank.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The PA exercises limited self-rule in the West Bank but has not had any sway over Gaza since it was exiled from the ​territory after a brief civil war with Hamas in 2007.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Trump’s plan for Gaza, shattered after more than two years of war, has been held up by ​a &lt;a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" class="link--external" href="https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/hamas-armed-wing-says-disarmament-calls-are-unacceptable-2026-04-05/"&gt;refusal by Hamas&lt;/a&gt; to lay down their weapons and by &lt;a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" class="link--external" href="https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israel-steps-up-attacks-gaza-since-iran-truce-military-says-hamas-rearming-2026-05-13/"&gt;continued Israeli attacks in Gaza&lt;/a&gt; that have undermined an October ceasefire.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3&gt;&lt;a id="money-held-in-a-bank-does-nothing" href="#money-held-in-a-bank-does-nothing" class="heading-permalink" aria-hidden="true" title="Permalink"&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;strong&gt;‘Money held in a bank does nothing’&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The Board of Peace declined to comment on whether a proposal to use Palestinian tax money was under consideration.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;A Board official said it had asked all parties to leverage resources to support Trump’s rebuild plan, estimated to cost $70 billion.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;“That ​includes the Palestinian Authority and Israel. There is no doubt that money held in a bank does nothing to further the president’s 20-Point Plan,” the official said.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;That ​appeared to refer to the PA tax revenue that Israel has withheld from the body in a long-running dispute over payments it makes to Palestinians held in Israeli jails.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Israel collects taxes ‌on imported ⁠goods on behalf of the PA and is meant to transfer the revenue under a longstanding arrangement.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The PA uses the funds to pay civil servants and fund public services.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The sources did not say how much of the tax money Washington was considering asking Israel to transfer to the Board.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The US State Department, Israeli government and PA did not immediately respond to requests for comment.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The US and Israel have long pressured the PA to abolish payments to Palestinian prisoners and families of those killed by ​Israeli forces, arguing it encourages violence.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Palestinians ​consider them a form of welfare for ⁠inmates they regard as national heroes.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;In response to US pressure, the PA in February 2025 said it was &lt;a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" class="link--external" href="https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/abbas-revokes-payment-system-financial-allowances-families-palestinian-prisoners-2025-02-10/"&gt;reforming the payment system&lt;/a&gt;, but the US said those changes did not go far enough.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;As punishment, Israel has withheld taxes it collects on ​the PA’s behalf, an amount that Palestinian officials say has reached $5 billion — well over half of the PA’s annual budget.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;That ​has set off a ⁠financial crisis in the West Bank, with the PA slashing salaries of thousands of civil servants.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Israel accepted a US invitation to join the Board of Peace. The PA was not invited.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Under Trump’s plan, a group of Palestinian technocrats dubbed the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza would take control of Gaza from Hamas as the group lays down ⁠weapons.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Nickolay Mladenov, ​Trump’s Board of Peace envoy for Gaza, said during a press conference in Jerusalem on Wednesday ​that reconstruction planning was in advanced stages.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;“We’re doing it sector by sector. We’re costing things. We’re coordinating with donors and we’re ready to begin in earnest once the conditions allow it,” Mladenov said, without mentioning ​the tax issue.&lt;/p&gt;
</description>
      <content:encoded xmlns="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/"><![CDATA[<p><strong>The US is considering asking Israel to give some tax money it is withholding from the Palestinian Authority ​to Donald Trump’s <a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" class="link--external" href="https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/trumps-peace-board-faces-cash-crunch-stalling-gaza-plan-sources-say-2026-04-10/">Board of Peace</a> to fund the US president’s post-war plan for <a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" class="link--external" href="https://www.reuters.com/world/israel-hama-at-war/">Gaza</a>, five sources familiar with the matter said.</strong></p>
<p>The Trump administration has ‌not yet decided whether to make a formal request to Israel, said three of the sources, officials with knowledge of US deliberations with Israel.</p>
<p>The two other sources, Palestinians with knowledge of the deliberations, said that under the proposal, a portion of the <a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" class="link--external" href="https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israel-use-withheld-palestinian-tax-income-pay-electric-co-debt-2025-01-12/">tax money</a> would go to a US-backed transitional government for Gaza and other funds to the PA if it makes reforms.</p>
<p>The PA puts the ​amount of tax being withheld at $5 billion.</p>
<p>The prospect of the Palestinians’ own tax money being repurposed toward Trump’s Gaza rebuilding plan, over which their ​government has had no input, could further sideline the Western-backed PA even as Israel’s withholding of the funds begets a financial ⁠crisis in the occupied West Bank.</p>
<p>The PA exercises limited self-rule in the West Bank but has not had any sway over Gaza since it was exiled from the ​territory after a brief civil war with Hamas in 2007.</p>
<p>Trump’s plan for Gaza, shattered after more than two years of war, has been held up by ​a <a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" class="link--external" href="https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/hamas-armed-wing-says-disarmament-calls-are-unacceptable-2026-04-05/">refusal by Hamas</a> to lay down their weapons and by <a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" class="link--external" href="https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israel-steps-up-attacks-gaza-since-iran-truce-military-says-hamas-rearming-2026-05-13/">continued Israeli attacks in Gaza</a> that have undermined an October ceasefire.</p>
<h3><a id="money-held-in-a-bank-does-nothing" href="#money-held-in-a-bank-does-nothing" class="heading-permalink" aria-hidden="true" title="Permalink"></a><strong>‘Money held in a bank does nothing’</strong></h3>
<p>The Board of Peace declined to comment on whether a proposal to use Palestinian tax money was under consideration.</p>
<p>A Board official said it had asked all parties to leverage resources to support Trump’s rebuild plan, estimated to cost $70 billion.</p>
<p>“That ​includes the Palestinian Authority and Israel. There is no doubt that money held in a bank does nothing to further the president’s 20-Point Plan,” the official said.</p>
<p>That ​appeared to refer to the PA tax revenue that Israel has withheld from the body in a long-running dispute over payments it makes to Palestinians held in Israeli jails.</p>
<p>Israel collects taxes ‌on imported ⁠goods on behalf of the PA and is meant to transfer the revenue under a longstanding arrangement.</p>
<p>The PA uses the funds to pay civil servants and fund public services.</p>
<p>The sources did not say how much of the tax money Washington was considering asking Israel to transfer to the Board.</p>
<p>The US State Department, Israeli government and PA did not immediately respond to requests for comment.</p>
<p>The US and Israel have long pressured the PA to abolish payments to Palestinian prisoners and families of those killed by ​Israeli forces, arguing it encourages violence.</p>
<p>Palestinians ​consider them a form of welfare for ⁠inmates they regard as national heroes.</p>
<p>In response to US pressure, the PA in February 2025 said it was <a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" class="link--external" href="https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/abbas-revokes-payment-system-financial-allowances-families-palestinian-prisoners-2025-02-10/">reforming the payment system</a>, but the US said those changes did not go far enough.</p>
<p>As punishment, Israel has withheld taxes it collects on ​the PA’s behalf, an amount that Palestinian officials say has reached $5 billion — well over half of the PA’s annual budget.</p>
<p>That ​has set off a ⁠financial crisis in the West Bank, with the PA slashing salaries of thousands of civil servants.</p>
<p>Israel accepted a US invitation to join the Board of Peace. The PA was not invited.</p>
<p>Under Trump’s plan, a group of Palestinian technocrats dubbed the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza would take control of Gaza from Hamas as the group lays down ⁠weapons.</p>
<p>Nickolay Mladenov, ​Trump’s Board of Peace envoy for Gaza, said during a press conference in Jerusalem on Wednesday ​that reconstruction planning was in advanced stages.</p>
<p>“We’re doing it sector by sector. We’re costing things. We’re coordinating with donors and we’re ready to begin in earnest once the conditions allow it,” Mladenov said, without mentioning ​the tax issue.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
      <category>World</category>
      <guid>https://english.aaj.tv/news/330459056</guid>
      <pubDate>Sat, 16 May 2026 10:39:43 +0500</pubDate>
      <author>none@none.com (Reuters)</author>
      <media:content url="https://i.aaj.tv/large/2026/05/161034215bae129.webp" type="image/webp" medium="image" height="480" width="800">
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        <media:title>Palestinians inspect the site of an Israeli air strike on houses at Shati refugee camp in Gaza City. -- Reuters</media:title>
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