Israel has warned the U.S. that it will punish the Palestinian Authority, possibly causing its collapse, if the International Criminal Court (ICC) issues arrest warrants for the Jewish state’s leaders. According to Israeli and U.S. officials who spoke to Axios reporter Barak Ravid, the Israeli government told the Biden administration that, if the ICC is allowed to go ahead and act against Netanyahu, they will consider the Palestinian Authority responsible and will retaliate with strong action against it.
Axios cited a general threat from a senior Israeli official, of “an official decision to punish the Palestinian Authority, which could lead to its collapse.” Axios also posited one possible measure (a favorite of extremist Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich), to freeze the transfer of tax revenues that Israel collects for the Palestinian Authority. Without these funds, the Palestinian Authority would go bankrupt.
