GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Israel will compensate farmers and townspeople bordering the Gaza Strip that sustained damage as a result of flaming kites sent over the Gaza border, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has asked the head of Israel's National Security Council to withhold the money from funds intended for the Palestinian government. The June 3 announcement on Twitter sparked anger among Palestinians.
The Palestinian government described the move June 5 as piracy and burglary of Palestinian public funds. That statement affirmed that the Palestinian leadership will ask international institutions to not only respond to Israel’s piracy of the funds of the Palestinian people but to claim compensation for all they have suffered as a result of Israel's occupation of the Palestinian territories.