Israel has halted the transfer of tax revenues to the Palestinian Authority in retaliation for its bid to join the International Criminal Court. On Friday, Palestinian officials submitted documents to join the ICC in a move opposed by both Israel and the United States. Palestinian U.N. Ambassador Riyad Mansour said the PA will seek the prosecution of Israeli officials for war crimes in the Occupied Territories.

Riyad Mansour: “It is a peaceful option. It is a civilized option. It is an option that anyone who uphold the law should not be afraid of, and it is an option that we are seeking in order to seek justice for all the victims that have been killed by Israel, the occupying power, the last group of them the more than 500 children in Gaza last summer, more than 3,000 children injured and thousand more of civilians killed and injured.”

In response, the Israeli government is holding up tens of millions of dollars it has collected on the PA’s behalf as the occupier of the Palestinian territories. The money is needed to pay salaries and provide public services. The Palestinian Authority opted to join the ICC after the United States and Israel successfully lobbied against a U.N. Security Council measure calling for an end to the Israeli occupation and the establishment of a Palestinian state by 2017. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas says he is discussing plans to resubmit the statehood resolution despite the threat of a U.S. veto.