>> palestine's bid to join the international criminal court. >> hello, this is al jazeera live from london. also coming up. more bodies and wreckage from airasia's crashed plane indonesia threatens to revoke the company's operating license for violating it's flying violations. and firefighters fighting bush

fires raging across three states in australia. >> hello there, a warm welcome to the program. israel is withholding $127 million of tax revenue from the palestinian authority. the money which israel collects on behalf of the palestinians is used to run the government and pay civil workers salaries. it comes a day after the palestinian ambassador to the u.n. handed over a formal request for palestine to join the international criminal court. it pushed ahead with that application after. palestinian leadership wants the icc to hold israel to account for leamed war crimes during the war last year. the chief negotiator said

that this will affect ordinary citizens. >> this month, they will not be able to pay the schools the hospitals, the banks. it shows that this is when it comes to employing and exercising punishment, they will affect 4 million palestinians, starve them, they want to kill. they want to affect gaza, destroy gaza, destroy our way of life. this shows the legitimacy of what they do, and we hope that the international community will stand shoulder to shoulder with us. >> let's get more now from testify stephanie dekker. this is simply a retaliation

from israel? >> it is. it is the first concrete step they've taken since the announcement the palestinians had signed their own statute. we know that this is something that the israelis also are very worried about. we know it was the last cards that the palestinians were holding. they had signed international treaties before. yes, it is a blow, as we heard. it is seen as collective punishment because many people rely on salaries on this attack that israel collects. we spoke to senior officials and they told us if israel wants not to be punished through the icc thin it should end its occupation. these measures were not going to stop the palestinians were pursuing their efforts at the u.n. or the international community court. the palestinians will tell you that they don't see any effort of a proper palestinian state going anywhere. they went to the u.n. recently.

that did not pass. they tried to set a framework to the end of the occupation. they wanted that to be 2017. that didn't happen. they wanted one vote short of the security council. when things like this happen, the united states will usually use its veto. language from the u.s. now in reaction to that icc bid also threatening the palestinians with withholding aid that the u.s. gives to them because they say both israel and the u.s. say this should be done through negotiations. the palestinians will tell thought the negotiationsthat you that they're trying to get recognition for their state. >> how long can the israelis continue holding the taxes. they've done this before, haven't they.

>> they can't do it for too long because there is a possibility that the pa collapses when it doesn't get this millions and millions of money that it relies on. and this is not what israel wants. israel does not want pa to collapse. who will run the west bank? it's back and forth. we're hearing the language of the icc. we've heard from the israelis that they say well, the palestinians go to the icc and if you try to investigate us for war crimes we'll do it to your leaders, who they hold accountable forever funding terrorists and all that kind of language. all in all it's a very unconducive scene an unconducive timing. the palestinians people who will be watching their leaders make these moves perhaps supported but really nothing is changing on the ground for them.

they have seen a real bush here. >> stephanie dekker from jerusalem. thank you. >> indonesia's transport minister is threatening to revoke airasia's operating license. it's flight sunday was a violation of its license and it will investigate flight violations about a number of airlines and aviation officials.

four parts of the plane have been found in the java sea. divers are searching for the rest of the passengers and crew of the flight. >> reporter: some crucial developments in the sea south of borneo in the search for the airasia plane that fatally crashed last supplied. four big chunks of the plane had been detected on the bottom of the association not far where earlier bodies from found. the biggest part is around 18 meters long, so it seems to be a significant part of the plane, and the challenge now is to find the blacks box on the bottom of the ocean and tomorrow divers and also sophisticated equipment will go down to the bottom of the ocean to try to find the black box so we will know what will be the reason of the fatal crash last week.

the minister of transportation has made bold statements about the airasia flight, which was flying with an improper license. it is licensed to fly four times a week during weekdays but not sundays, and it's been confirmed that they've been flying every sunday. the minister made really bold statements in an interview earlier with al jazeera. >> if any airlines does the same thing we will cancel the license. we will cancel everything. >> meaning, all the flights in indonesia? >> if they break the rules. >> so many questions have to be answered. this comes at a time when the

whole airline industry in indonesia is under a lot of pressure again for the very poor safety records. that is something that the minister has told us in the interview he wants to improve very quickly and very significantly with bold measures. we need to change the whole culture about safety consciousness in the airline industry in indonesia. >> italian investigators have surveyed the inside of the cattle ship left adrift off the eye tall coast with hundreds of migrants on board. it was abandoned by its people smuggling crew before being rescued by its maritime force. >> heavily protected against anything they might find on board, the investigating team began their search of the ship. it's passengers now safely ashore. they found gang ways littered with possessions. suit cases stuffed with all they can bring on the voyage left

abandoned. they were in too great of a hurry to escape the vessel that had promised them freedom that had become their prison. this was a ship built for transporting at that time. the cages designed for animals. hours after they had gathered on the decks wrapped against the cold night air as it was finally brought into port. waiting to bring them ashore an italian medical team, one of their number giving voice to the mixture of compassion and frustration that many now field feel towards this trade of human trafficking. >> we need to create humanitarian corridors that is free from the greedy human traffickers that feed on desperate people. >> they were

>> the traffickers and their crew had abandoned their ship to the mercy of the sea. it was the second in four days after another vessel had to be rescued close to the italian close. the commander of the coast guard here told al jazeera that he believed the crew had deliberately disabled the ship before deserting it, with the knowledge that the italian navy would perform a rescue. >> they have no respect for human life. >> you think they might do more like this. >> we expect there can be other other--there can be new cases. we worry. we worry that there will be new case. >> the fear that voyages like that represent a new strategy for the people smugglers is one that is increasing ily worryly

worrying the authorities. these people are safe for now but others may not be so lucky. >> they are believed to be syrians escaping the war in their country. both ships found abandoned are believed to be from turkey. thank you for joining us on the program. we know that thousands of syrians are now making these terrible terrible journeys. what can countries like turkey--what is turkey doing currently to stop these ships from leaving desperate individuals? >> there are 1.7 million refugees according to official figures. so it is impossible to control this cross border moments. the main factor is the living conditions in turkey.

220,000 people are living in the camps along side the border cities. their conditions are relatively better but the majority about 1.3 million refugees are in the cities. and their living conditions are deteriorating, and there is not much to do by the government at the moment. so many people after living for a few years under such desperate conditions, they say most probably enough is enough, and own way to sneak to western countries hoping for a new life that would be waiting for them. >> is part of the problem that there aren't humanitarian corridors or processes to deal with all the refugees from syria

syria? will that stop the smugglers from benefiting from this term war in their country home country. >> smugglers are always operating in turkey even before the syrian humanitarian crisis. the problem is otherwise no measure can stop these people, and. >> is is it active enough on this score? can it do more? >> well, from the very beginning the turkish government openly declared that it will deal

with--it will handle with this crisis with its own resources. and until 2012 turkish government didn't accept any assistance. then the dialogue between--especially the u.n. and other u.n. agencies and turkish governments started, but still the relationship is far from the international kind of relations. it is seeking assistance on behalf of turkish generosity from the international community. but it is not very operational. it works very closely with the turkish authorities and so far it is focused on the situation in the camp.

very recently the government issued regulation, which is called regulations. it falls short with local integration scheme. >> joining us live from ankara i'm sorry to interrupt you. thank you for joining us with your thoughts from ankara, thank you. relatives are still waiting for news to be investigated. 11 people died in the blaze. the ferry was towed in to the port but heat on board has prevented firefighters from entering. authorities fear there are more bodies in the cargo of the ferry are the fire started.

still ahead this half hour, explosions in the yemeni capitol. celebrations show that houthi rebels are now in control.

>> a reminder of those top stories in al jazeera. israel said it is withholding around $127 million of tax it collects on behalf of the palestinian authority. it comes the day after an

additional request was made with palestinians to join international criminal court. four large objects have been detected in the search for the crash airasia plane. enter is threatenening to revoke its license. refugeesa cattle ship is found abandoned over the coast of italy with hundreds of refugees on board. coptic christians have been kidnapped in libya. an al-qaeda suspect accused of the 1998 bombings of u.s. embassy has died in custody

in the united states. 50-year-old an as al-liby died from cancer just days before his trial was to begin. boko haram is once again suspected of mass kidnapping in northeastern nigeria's bore know state. 40 boys and young men went missing from a village in new year's eve. news only came to light when villagers came to the state capitol just two days later. yemen's shia houthis have been holding celebrations across the country marking the birth of prophet mohammed. but security is tight after they've come under attacks recently. the houthies are a rebel group

who adhere to a branch of of shia. they have seize control of a large part of western yemen last year. it became the de facto power after taking over key government buildings in the capitol. it has since signed a cease-fire deal which gives them significant influence over the government and gives them key positions. we have more on reports from sanaa and those celebrations. >> reporter: the houthi celebrations started overnight all over yemen's capitol. people woke up to tight security measures. it's clear who is in charge here.

more than shia fighters have been deployed. some armed with heavy weapons. they set up check points to prevent suicide attacks. we have max security and it's going well. people are cooperative and there is coordination between all security forces and us. >> death to america. death to israel is what they chant, and these fighters want it heard. the group's main colors are everywhere. all roads lead to the military camp where celebrations taking place have been closed off. people have been forced to take other routes. there have been attacks and the houthis are taking it very serious. they also want to show their force. >> reporter: she went through sanaa in september. thousands of fighters and supporters have showed up. this is a religious celebration mixed with politics. in the northern province of sanaa the group's leader said

that the houthi revolution will continue. >> we will carry on our revolutionary actions and fighting corruption to end the political tyranny and to have cooperation between popular committees, the army to protect state and institutions. >> reporter: but anti-houthi sentiment is rising in other areas. hundreds of protesters took to the streets south of the capitol. they're calling on the houthi militias to withdraw, and some activists. >> the houthi groups want to flex their muscles by imposing their will and promote their barns. >> the houthies have taken control of nine provinces since july. largely because of political fighting shifting alliances and the turmoil that followed the the 2011 protest.

alliances could change and houthies could end up with more enemies than friend. al jazeera sanaa. >> lawyers for al jazeera journalss peter grest and mohammed fahmy have filed requests for them to be deported. they along with bad er mohammed, have spent more than a year in prison in egypt. in australia, evacuation orders have been issued for those east of adelaide. >> it's summer in australia that means bush fire season. a sending temperatures soaring. it's a lethal combination.

searing heat, strong winds and dry grass. >> the sound of the roar of the hills almost like a jet engine like on an airplane. it's just getting louder and louder. >> reporter: thousands of people have fled from their homes. and there are fears that dozens of homes have been lost in the fires. at least five have burned to the ground so far. >> we are losing properties. we don't know how many properties they have lost. >> reporter: police have declared the fire as a major emergency. they gives them the power to force people from their homes. >> we're dealing with an incredibly dangerous fire. your life is at risk. >> it's hard work for firefighters. so far six have been injured. officials are calling on other states to help. but they have their own problems. in the neighboring state of victoria, bush fires have threatened homes in the coastal area in the peninsula and in farming areas in the west.

>> we quickly went back, got a couple of things, and they said, look, i think yours and your neighbor's they're going to be part of them. >> a wall of flames and smoke it turning the scrub black and for some bringing back memories is the state's greatest bush fire disaster 35 years ago. in that one 75 people were killed and became known as ash wednesday. everyone is hoping these fires won't end up rivaling that one but australia has a long summer ahead of it, and fires have become a dangerous part of it. nicole johnston, al jazeera. >> now this year starting on a high note. for millions of low-paid workers in the united states and germany, the minimum wage has been increased for 2015. economists will look at the long-term effects of minimum

wage we look to santa fe, which has led the way on minimum wage. >> lunch times are always busy, but with the hard-working staff here there is an advantage. a decade ago santa fe became one of the first cities in the u.s. to put in place it's own minimum wage. it means that salaries are linked to things like food and accommodation, what officials like to call the living wage. >> was anything good? >> owner julia castro said it's a policy she's happy to follow. >> paying living wage to my employees is not going to affect my quality of life at all. i'm very proud to live in santa fe and the way it's run and the way it pays people. >> it set it's own living wage $3 higher than the rest of the state, many thought it was a risky move, but it's mayor said it's part of a proud legacy. >> it's not the silver bullet. this is not going to help us regrow our middle class.

we have to do so much more for the working people of not only our community but the people across this country. >> reporter: but some in the business community are wary of local authorities setting their own minimum wage. one man presently sold his restaurant in part because of santa fe's wage laws. >> we got to stop letting government take over business, telling us what to do, who to pay, and what to pay in order to sustain the free society that we have. >> santa fe refers to itself as the city different. it's minimum wage policy is now being copied across the u.s. there are now over a hundred cities with similar laws aimed at reducing poverty. >> the economy did not offer over all. the santa fe problems were not solved either. property rates particularly for

hispanic remain high, but many can afford more for their families. andy gallagher al jazeera, santa fe new mexico. >> you can find more on our website. the address for that is www.aljazeera.com. >> i had an american sitting here and he said to me are you actually running a holiday camp for criminals? and my answer to him there immediately was 'so what'? >> wow. i think this might be the only prison in the world with a sunbed.