Yoav Gallant, Minister of Defense of the Israeli occupation, approved Saturday the revocation of the VIP permits from three members in the Central Committee of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) following their visit to the recently-liberated prisoner Karim Younis, who served 40 years inside the occupation prisons. This decision included Mahmoud Al-Aloul, Azzam Al-Ahmad and Rawhi Fattouh, yet it is expected that the circle of revoking permits will expand to include Minister of Palestinian Foreign Affairs Riyad Al-Maliki, Ambassador to the United Nations Riyad Mansour and Depute Prime Minister Ziad Abu Amr. 

The decisions of withdrawing permits had come after the Knesset's declaration of several sanctions against the Palestinian Authority last Thursday, including the deduction of 139 million NIS from the PA money in favor of the occupation's causalities, deduction of an amount equal to what is paid to the families of Palestinian martyrs and prisoners by the Palestinian Authority, and freezing of housing schemes in Area C, affiliated with the Palestinian Authority. 

Such Israeli punitive sanctions represent an initial response to the Palestinian Authority's moves in the United Nations, the last of which is passing on a recommendation to the International Criminal Court in the Hague to take action against the Israeli occupation due to its occupation of the West Bank by 78 votes, while 53 abstained from voting and 24 rejected to vote. This therefore outraged the Israeli occupation, as Bezalel Smotrich described the voting as an attempt to internationalize the conflict, is a "diplomatic terrorism" and that his government will not allow the Palestinian Authority to continue in its double game.  

Within the same context, Israeli mediators sent letters to the Palestinian Authority to reassure it that the Israeli government is not concerned about escalating the situations or weakening it. However, such sanctions came as warning letters to its latest standings. They also referred to Netanyahu's abstention from adopting harsher steps in order not to strangle it more.  

Analysis and Insight of the Scene:

• Such sanctions approved by the Israeli Cabinet and Minister of Defense of the Israeli occupation constitute a logical expression of the extremist status that dominates the shape of the new government and its attitude towards taking unilateral racist right-wing actions against the Palestinians. 
• The Israeli sanctions pressure the Palestinian Authority to adopt a more proportional behavior to the Israeli occupation and widen the gap between it and the Palestinian Authority. 
• Weakening the Palestinian Authority considerably poses threat to the Israeli occupation and increases the security burdens put over it in the Occupied West Bank. 

Situation Report: based on the abovementioned analysis and reading of the scene, following are expected: 

1. The Israeli sanctions imposed against the Palestinian Authority might continue as a punishment after any decision or behavior that contradicts the ideology of the right-wing Israeli government, in a way that increases the pressure put over it and affects its ability to work in the West Bank, yet within studied limitations that do not lead to the collapse of the Palestinian Authority. This scenario is supported by the Israeli security need to the Palestinian Authority to perform security and living duties in the West Bank, in a way that reduces the cost for the Israeli occupation. 

2. The Israeli sanctions might constitute a temporary state, so the alternative would be empowering the Palestinian Authority in its current form balanced between the security demands and Israeli desires on one side and its national presence inside the Palestinian society on the other side. What supports this scenario is the Israeli occupation's realization of the significance of the Palestinian Authority in confronting any Palestinian movement in the West Bank.

Generally, all scenarios are achievable with preference to the first scenario, in a way that leaves a bigger space to more sanctions and extremism against the Palestinian Authority by the Israeli occupation government.