Photo Credit: Hadas Parush / Flash 90
The Palestinian Authority government Muqata compound, Ramallah, March 10, 2019

Senior Palestinian Authority and Israeli officials met this week in Ramallah for the first time in more than six months to resume security coordination and discuss the transfer of Palestinian Authority tax funds that were held for the PA by Israel since May. Both the PA and Israel agreed Tuesday to resume relations, according to the Palestinian Authority’s official WAFA news agency.

Hussein al-Sheikh, member of Fatah Central Committee and the Palestinian Authority’s (PA) chief liaison officer with Israel, wrote on Twitter that Israel agreed in their meeting to transfer the taxes owed to the PA collected on behalf of the Ramallah government.

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While al-Sheikh represented the Palestinian Authority side, the head of the Israeli Civil Administration and coordinator of Israeli government activities in the territories (COGAT), IDF Major General Kamil Abu Rukun, represented the Israeli side.

“Today I held a meeting with the Israeli side. We emphasized that the bilateral agreements signed, which are based on international legitimacy, are what govern this relationship,” said al-Sheikh in the tweet.

“We [also] rejected the settlement policy, demolishing homes and lands confiscation. It was agreed to hold another meeting soon,” he added.

Israel-PA relations were cut on May 19 by the Palestinian Authority following an announcement by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Israel would extend its sovereignty over Jewish communities in Judea, Samaria and the Jordan Valley.

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Hana Levi Julian is a Middle East news analyst with a degree in Mass Communication and Journalism from Southern Connecticut State University. A past columnist with The Jewish Press and senior editor at Arutz 7, Ms. Julian has written for Babble.com, Chabad.org and other media outlets, in addition to her years working in broadcast journalism.