Israel transferred $100 million in withheld Palestinian tax revenues to President Mahmoud Abbas on Friday, part of an attempt to bolster the Palestinian leader, Israeli officials said.
Friday's transfer was the first by Israel since Hamas came to power last year. "The money has been transferred," a senior official in Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's office told Reuters. Israeli officials have said the money would be directed to humanitarian needs and a U.S.-backed scheme to strengthen Abbas's presidential guard.
A senior aide to Abbas, Saeb Erekat, said the funds would be directed to humanitarian projects and the private sector.
The Israeli government decided last February to halt the tax revenue transfers, estimated at $50 million to $60 million per month, after Hamas won parliamentary elections a year ago.
