It has long been known that the Palestinian Authority (PA) funnels money to terrorists and their families as a financial incentive for terrorism, and now the exact figures for 2017 are known thanks to a report from Israel’s Defense Ministry.
According to the Jerusalem Post, the Defense Ministry found that the PA paid terrorists and their families over $347 million in 2017. The minimum they provide is $580 per month for a terrorist sentenced to 3-5 years in prison. That number increases to $2,900 if a terrorist is sentenced to 20-35 years in prison. A terrorist earns extra money if they are married with children and if they reside in Israel.
By comparison, the average Israeli citizen earns $2,700 per month and the average Palestinian earns $580 per months, thereby showing that the PA is dangling money to entice Palestinians into committing acts of terror against Jews.
“The minute the amount of the payment is decided according to the severity of the crime and the length of the sentence – in other words, whoever murders and is sentenced to life in prison gets much more – that is funding terrorist attacks against Israeli citizens,” Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman told the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee. “There is nothing that better illustrates the PA’s support for terrorism. We must stop this.”
To combat the PA’s funding of terrorism, Israel’s Defense Ministry is proposing a bill that would allow ministers to deduct tax revenue Israel provides to the PA based on how much the PA paid terrorists.
Read the full report here.
The official figures provided by the Defense Ministry isn’t too far off from The Algemeiner’s estimation that the PA paid $355 million to terrorists in 2017.
In December, the House of Representatives passed the Taylor Force Act, which states that the U.S. will cease funding the PA so long as they continue to provide funding to terrorists. The bill is expected to pass the Senate and President Trump will likely sign it if it reaches his desk.
Fatah Central Committee member Azzam Al-Ahmed recently declared that the PA would continue to fund terrorists and their families in spite of the threat of the U.S. threats of ending funding to the PA.
