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Steven Emerson,
Executive Director
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August 22, 2017
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Palestinian
Authority Payments to Terrorists Far Exceed Regular Welfare
Aug 22, 2017 at 3:26 pm
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Palestinian terrorists and their families are receiving far higher
payments than welfare recipients, according to an analysis of the Palestinian Authority's (PA) budget by
The Middle East Media Research Institute.
A family on welfare receives less than $170 per month, while the PA pays
Palestinian prisoners a maximum monthly payment of roughly $3,340 – more
than 20 times more than a needy Palestinian family. By amending the
Palestinian Prisoners Law in 2010, PA President Mahmoud Abbas increased
monthly installments from approximately $275-$1,110 per month to
$390-$3,340.
Payments to current and former Palestinian prisoners fall under the
"fighting sector" category and terrorists' families receive a
"monthly salary," while poor families receive quarterly
"monetary aid."
The practice triggered a civil lawsuit by American victims of
Palestinian terrorism. A jury awarded the victims $210 million in damages,
which under law would be tripled. Evidence indicated that payments from the
second Palestinian intifada were approved by then-PA President Yasir Arafat. But an
appeals court found the U.S. District Court in New York lacked the jurisdiction to hear the case, wiping out
the judgment.
Today, a terrorist's socioeconomic status is not factored into the
salaries. Payments to released prisoners and jailed Palestinians are based
on the length of a prison sentence, which is a function of their action's
severity. The more brutal the attack or murder, the more money a Palestinian prisoner gets. Even jailed
Israeli Arabs receive terror salaries – almost $140 more than prisoners
with PA residency. The detailed PA budget is concrete proof that the
Palestinian government systematically incentivizes terrorism through
financial compensation.
This comes as a U.S. Senate committee approved legislation earlier this month to suspend aid
to the PA until it stops its financial support programs for Palestinian
terrorists and their families. The PA budget clearly shows how the PA prioritizes
segments of Palestinian society – people who try or succeed in killing
Israelis above all else.
In May, President Trump tried to pressure Abbas, his PA counterpart, to end the
terrorist payments. A top PA aide called the idea "insane."
In June, Palestinian sources revealed that Abbas refused another U.S.
demand to halt the practice of paying terrorist salaries. Reports in Arabic
media, according to The Times of Israel, suggest that an American
delegation eventually reduced its demands and insisted that the PA only cut
payments to roughly 600 prisoners directly responsible for the Israeli
deaths. The day after the meeting, Abbas defended issuing salaries to all
Palestinian prisoners and terrorists as a "social
responsibility."
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