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Scandalous Salaries

Reality: Palestinian “welfare” payments encourage terror.

P

Reducing P.A. aid in opposition to
terrorist payouts makes sense if it
not only doesn’t further destabilize
Ramallah and radicalize Palestinians,
but also doesn’t further limit U.S.
leverage in pursuit of a two-state
solution to the decades-long conflict
between Israel and the Palestinian
people.
Building an international coali-
tion that condemns the payouts
— European Union, U.N. Security
Council, friendly Arab governments,
are you listening? — could work in
concert with U.S. and Israeli alloca-
tion cuts to compel the P.A. to recon-
sider.
Daniel Shapiro, U.S.
ambassador to Israel under
President Barack Obama,
told the Jewish news ser-
vice JTA a complete cutoff
of P.A. aid would be “more
persuasive,” but could have
PUSHING BACK
a deleterious effect.
Both Israel and the U.S. are con-
“Stability in the West
sidering laws that would slice
Daniel Shapiro
Bank, both economic
hundreds of millions of dollars
and political, serves
in P.A. aid unless the pathetic
Israel’s security interest
payout practice ends. The idea of
by dampening the atmosphere in
earning substantial reward certainly
must appeal to young, impressionable which Palestinians might be drawn
to extremism,” said Shapiro, now a
Palestinians drawn by the allure of
distinguished visiting fellow at the
“martyrdom.”
Institute for National Security Studies
The U.S. Senate is considering the
at Tel Aviv University.
Taylor Force Act. It would reduce
We shouldn’t forget about continu-
funding that directly benefits the P.A.
ing humanitarian assistance for the
while protecting humanitarian assis-
Gaza Strip. Gazans are burdened
tance to ordinary Palestinians pro-
enough by their terrorist overseer,
vided the P.A. works harder to tamp
Hamas.
down terror.
The American Israel Public Affairs
Committee supports the bipartisan
NO EASY FIX
bill, named for an American stabbed
It’s likely that dollars sent to the P.A.
to death in a 2016 terrorist attack
presumably for infrastructure, medi-
while studying in Tel Aviv. It’s unclear
cal bills, teachers’ wages, debt relief
how much of the $260 million a year
and police services enable the P.A. to
in non-security aid the U.S. gives the
divert shekels not only toward terror-
P.A. would be affected by the bill. The
ist payouts, but also toward textbooks
bill wouldn’t affect the almost $100
that incite and glorify violence against
million a year the U.S. extends in
“the Zionist entity.”
security support.
With the White House on record
The Taylor Force Act seeks
against the payouts, America is on
a general welfare system for
course to make a case compelling
all Palestinians within the
enough to sway President Abbas, who
jurisdictional control of the
vows no “compromise on the salary
P.A. — a system that could
of a martyr or a prisoner” and blames
fill the void if P.A. payouts
BIG NUMBERS
dormant peace talks squarely on
to families of “martyred” or
The P.A. governs Palestinian-
Israel.
injured terrorists ceased and
controlled areas of the West
Ending terrorist payouts would be
Mahmoud Abbas
a mechanism to determine
Bank through President
a significant stride toward chang-
actual need was installed.
ing Palestinian culture. Still, it’ll take
Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah
For its part, the Knesset,
generations to reverse the hatred
faction. The P.A. Finance
is reviewing a bill that would slash
toward Israel and Jews that young
Ministry’s 2017 budget for monthly
the amount of annual tax revenue
Palestinians have been indoctrinated
salaries for jailed and released
that Israel collects on behalf of the
with by parents, schools, mosques,
Palestinian prisoners (many con-
Palestinians by a percentage of the
music videos, street and park names,
victed terrorists) is $158 million, up
amount the P.A. earmarked in 2016 for government edicts and sports tourna-
13 percent from 2016. Payouts rise as
terrorist payouts ($355 million).
ments.•
Israeli imprisonment lengthens, and

alestinian payouts to terrorists
jailed by Israel and to families of
“martyred” or injured terrorists
are billed as social welfare, a social
responsibility in support of “heroes” of
the “occupation.” In truth, a payout is
a valued reward for attacking Jewish
Israelis.
The Palestinian
Authority (P.A.) sub-
sidies are meant to
encourage violence
against anyone and
anything Zionist.
The spur: Israel’s
settler and military
presence in the West
Robert Sklar
Bank plus its reunifi-
Contributing Editor
cation of Jerusalem,
the Jewish people’s
eternal capital.
P.A. officials main-
tain that jailed, “martyred” or injured
terrorists become political prisoners
deserving of government support in
the “struggle” against Israel’s “occu-
pation” of disputed land, reports
Palestinian Media Watch (PMW), an
Israel-based watchdog whose July
special report exposed the P.A. lie
that terrorist payouts are a goodwill
gesture.
The P.A. considers a “martyr” to
be anyone killed or wounded in the
“struggle againist Zionism,’’ including
those killed while attacking or other-
wise confronting an Israeli, according
to PMW.
The 2017 P.A. budget for payouts to
terrorists jailed by Israel for security
or terror offenses and to families of
terrorists “martyred” or injured in the
act of murdering or maiming Israelis
is equal to about half of the foreign
aid Ramallah anticipates this year —
$693 million, according to Times of
Israel.
Despite escalating pressure from
the West, including congressional
debate on how much to curtail assis-
tance in protest, the P.A.
denies any intent to halt ter-
rorist payouts, a denial tan-
tamount to denying Israel’s
right to exist.

8

August 10 • 2017

jn

they continue upon release. They’re
not based on family status and taxes
are assessed. Salaries are higher than
what civil servants receive.
The P.A. pays salaries, ranging from
$388 to $3,324 a month, to 6,300 ter-
rorist prisoners.
The P.A. awards 6,800 families of
“martyred” terrorists and 8.300 fami-
lies of injured terrorists a monthly
allowance. The 2017 allowance budget
is $197 million, up 4 percent.
The sum of the payouts to terrorist
prisoners and families ($355 million)
is greater than the 2017 P.A. budget
for social welfare ($211 million),
notes the Jerusalem Center for Public
Affairs.
It’s sobering to think terrorist
payouts could have gone toward
legitimate social needs to invigo-
rate the beleaguered P.A.

continued from page 5

Shabbat I described above is also
palpable. While it is heartfelt that
the organization gathers women to
participate in Rosh Chodesh services
monthly early at 7 a.m., they also
disrupt the peace and spirituality of
those who pray daily and regularly on
Shabbat. The Women of the Wall sing
and daven extremely loudly; they
typically have some kind of media
accompany them. This is incredibly
disruptive and, dare I say, disrespect-
ful as 10 feet in front of the Women
of the Wall are a group of women
who daven there every day, same
time, same place, some since 1967.
If the Women of the Wall (and men
who visit) want to daven and be part
of the Kotel, I can’t help but wonder
why do they limit their davening to
once a month or on a solidarity visit?
Why not come every day and tone
it down a bit so everyone can pray
without the fanfare?
I bet if the Women of the Wall
(and men) came every day, they
would actually build relationships
with their Jewish brethren who have
been davening their hearts out to the
Almighty there for decades.
Moreover, does the writer honestly
believe that handing control of the
“Kotel over to the ‘ultra-orthodox’
after the 1967 war was a terrible mis-
take?” What would the Kotel be like
today? Who would be praying there?
People from all over the world, Jews
and non-Jews, have come to know
the Kotel as a place of prayer. Who
better to care for the wall then those
who pray every day?

Aviva Gordon
Oak Park

Faithkeepers

The movie Faithkeepers by the
Clarion Project shown at the
Chaldean Cultural Center on July
24, along with the accompanying
speakers, show that there has been
and is a genocide being perpetu-
ated against Middle East Christians.
Where is the “Never Again” chorus?
Singing “Islamophobia!” It may be
the “radical” Muslims that are brutal-
izing, enslaving, raping and burning
the churches, but it’s the “moderate”
Muslims who allow it to happen and
criminalize rebuilding.
One God means one morality, but
we are lost to multiculturalism and
the worship of Mother Earth. It’s hap-
pening again and we are silent.

Joel K. Letvin
West Bloomfield

