RABAT, December 11. /TASS/. The Palestinian authorities have condemned Israel for continuing to block money intended for the Palestinian budget.

"This measure is piracy and collective punishment of the entire Palestinian people, and warning of its serious consequences on the services provided by the Palestinian government to all sectors, specifically the health sector which is suffering from a serious decline in the services provided to the people, in addition to the education sector and all aspects of life," the WAFA news agency quoted a communique from the Palestinian presidential administration as saying.

"Israel's decision to deduct funds allocated to Gaza amounts to a war crime," the document states. The amount of blocked funds has not been mentioned.

The Palestinian authorities have assured that they will not abandon the people and will continue to fulfill their obligations to residents of the Gaza Strip with regard to healthcare, education, water, electricity and the paychecks for Palestinian civil servants.

The Palestinian authorities also called on the US administration to "oblige Israel to stop these policies and crimes committed against every Palestinian because it is the only party capable of doing so." According to the authorities, the US "also bears direct responsibility for supporting the policy and the continuation of the war and the withholding and the stealing of the funds of the Palestinian people who face aggression, famine and destitution in Gaza and the West Bank, including Jerusalem.".