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Under Israeli Pressure, Palestinian Bank Closes Accounts of Released Prisoners
(Ha'aretz) Jack Khoury and Hagar Shezaf - A bank in the West Bank recently told Palestinians released from Israeli prisons that it would have to close the accounts where the Palestinian Authority deposits their monthly stipends. A new Israeli regulation states that anyone "dealing in assets" for the purpose of abetting, promoting, funding or rewarding acts of terror can be sentenced to up to seven years in jail. Under the new rule, liability falls not just on the recipients, but on the banks that receive the funds and their employees. It also allows Israel to confiscate the stipends deposited into these accounts. Qadura Fares, head of the Palestinian Prisoners Club, said, "According to our records, there are 11,000 stipend recipients who get several thousand shekels a month."