Daily Alert Archives

Incentivizing Terrorism: Palestinian Authority Allocations to Terrorists and their Families

(Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs) Brig.-Gen. (res.) Yossi Kuperwasser - The Palestinian Authority's allocations of monthly salaries and benefits rewarding imprisoned and released terrorists, and the families of "martyrs," amount to $300 million annually. This financial reward clearly demonstrates the PA's institutional commitment to sponsoring terror against Israel. Reflecting the core identity of the general Palestinian public, terrorists are seen as heroes fighting for the national and religious cause, to be glorified and rewarded without any hesitation. PA legislation that refers to the terrorists specifically as "fighters" makes clear that the Oslo Accords are not considered by the Palestinian leadership and by most of the Palestinian people as a deviation from or an end to the battle against Zionism. Yet in the Oslo agreements, the PLO and the PA committed themselves to stop terror and to refrain from encouraging terror. The policy of paying salaries to terrorists is unacceptable and must change. This should be a condition for assisting the Palestinians, and it is the only way to promote a peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians. The writer, Director of the Project on Regional Middle East Developments at the Jerusalem Center, was formerly Director General of the Israel Ministry of Strategic Affairs and head of the Research Division of IDF Military Intelligence.
2016-11-17 00:00:00
Full Article