Israeli Finance Minister Betzalel Smotrich told US Secretary of State Antony Blinken that Israel will not transfer any funds to the Palestinian Authority (PA) during Blinken's visit to Israel on Tuesday.
"We will not transfer a shekel to the Palestinian Authority that will go to the families of the Nazis in Gaza and we will work to allow the opening of the gates of Gaza for the voluntary immigration of refugees as the international community did for the refugees from Syria and Ukraine," Smotrich said in his remarks to Blinken.
"We greatly appreciate US support for Israel, but when it comes to our existence in our country, we will always act according to the Israeli interest. Therefore, we will continue to fight with all our might to destroy Hamas," he declared.
Blinken calls for Palestinian statehood, transfer of funds to PA
On Tuesday, Blinken arrived in Israel for the fourth time since the onset of the Israel-Hamas War on October 7, where he spoke regarding the current state of the war from the US perspective.
“In today’s meetings, I was crystal clear that Palestinian civilians must be able to return home as soon as conditions allow. They must not be pressed to leave Gaza," Blinken said during Tuesday's remarks in Tel Aviv.
“As I told the Prime Minister, the US unequivocally rejects any proposals advocating for the resettlement of Palestinians outside of Gaza. The Prime Minister reaffirmed to me today that this is not the policy of Israel’s government,” he said.
He called on Israel to transfer to the PA all the tax revenue it collects on their behalf. Israel has deducted from that revenue the sums equal to the amount that the PA spends on monthly stipends to terrorists and their families.
Moving forward, Blinken said, “Israel must be a partner to Palestinian leaders who are willing to lead their people in living side by side in peace with Israel as neighbors."
Blinken's comments come several days after Smotrich accused two million Palestinians living in Gaza of having a "desire to slaughter, rape, and murder Jews," while defending the displacement of Palestinians against US backlash.
The finance minister, one of the senior figures in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing coalition, had on December 31st called for Palestinian residents of Gaza to leave the besieged enclave, making way for Israelis who could "make the desert bloom."
“Let’s think out of the box,” urged Smotrich, “If in Gaza there will be 100,000 or 200,000 Arabs and not 2 million, the entire conversation on ‘the day after’ will look different,” he said.
Tovah Lazaroff contributed to this report.