Head of prisoners’ commission: "The salaries of the relatives of the Martyrs and prisoners remain firm and will not be harmed, and that is what the Palestinian leadership has emphasized"
Headline: "The prisoners and Martyrs’ relatives: We are certain of the firmness of the [PA] president's position in defense of our cause"
"Released prisoners, Martyrs' (Shahids') families, and prisoners' relatives emphasized their absolute faith in [PA] President Mahmoud Abbas' in defense of their causes and rights, in response to the occupation government's decision to steal their allowances (mukhassasat) from the Palestinian tax money (refers to implementation of the Israeli law to deduct terror salaries from PA tax money; see note below –Ed.).
They expressed appreciation in separate conversations with [the official PA news agency] WAFA for President Abbas’ firm positions in the face of the Israeli and American pressures, which reject all of the attempts at political extortion, and his emphasis that their allowances will not be harmed and will not stop regardless of the extent of these pressures… Director of [PLO] Commission of Prisoners and Released Prisoners' Affairs Qadri Abu Bakr said to WAFA that 'The salaries (rawatib) of the relatives of the Martyrs and prisoners remain firm and will not be harmed, and that is what the Palestinian leadership has emphasized and is emphasizing.' He added: 'President Abbas’ position in this matter is firm and clear that the allowances of the prisoners and the Martyrs' families will not be harmed.'
He added: 'They want to criminalize the Palestinian people’s struggle before the world, to present them as terrorists, and to prevent relatives from [receiving] salaries that will support them, while the Israeli criminals are receiving three salaries (sic., Israeli criminals receive no money from the Israeli government; see note below)."
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Law to deduct terrorist salaries from PA tax money - Israeli law stating that the PA payments to terrorists and the families of dead terrorists is a financial incentive to terror. The law instructs the state to deduct and freeze the amount of money the PA pays in salaries to imprisoned terrorists and families of "Martyrs" from the tax money Israel collects for the PA. Should the PA stop these payments for a full year, the Israeli government would have the option of giving all or part of the frozen money to the PA.
The law was enacted by the Israeli Parliament on July 2, 2018, and its first implementation was approved by Israel's Security Cabinet on Feb. 17, 2019, when it decided to withhold 502,697,000 Israeli shekels (approximately $138 million) from the PA. In response, the PA announced it would not receive any of the tax money collected by Israel unless it also included the frozen amount.
During the initial parliamentary vote in 2018, the law's sponsor Avi Dichter said: “The Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee received much help in its deliberations... from Palestinian Media Watch who provided us with authentic data that enabled productive and professional deliberations, nuances that are very difficult to achieve without precise data.” [Israeli Parliament website, July 2, 2018]
Palestinian claim that Israel pays Israeli prisoners: Contrary to the Palestinian claims, Israel does not make any payments to Israeli prisoners. Israel’s Social Security Law states specifically that, notwithstanding any entitlement, benefits due to a person held in prison will not be paid. In some cases, even child benefits that are paid to the parents of a minor are stopped, if that minor is convicted and sentenced to a prison sentence. Similarly, a person who is entitled to an Insured Income from the State loses that entitlement for any time he is held in prison following a criminal conviction. Furthermore, accepting the Palestinian claim that Israel makes payments to Israeli prisoners would lead to the untenable conclusion that Israel pays a salary even to Israeli Arab prisoners who carried out terrorist attacks against other Israeli citizens.
"Released prisoners, Martyrs' (Shahids') families, and prisoners' relatives emphasized their absolute faith in [PA] President Mahmoud Abbas' in defense of their causes and rights, in response to the occupation government's decision to steal their allowances (mukhassasat) from the Palestinian tax money (refers to implementation of the Israeli law to deduct terror salaries from PA tax money; see note below –Ed.).
They expressed appreciation in separate conversations with [the official PA news agency] WAFA for President Abbas’ firm positions in the face of the Israeli and American pressures, which reject all of the attempts at political extortion, and his emphasis that their allowances will not be harmed and will not stop regardless of the extent of these pressures… Director of [PLO] Commission of Prisoners and Released Prisoners' Affairs Qadri Abu Bakr said to WAFA that 'The salaries (rawatib) of the relatives of the Martyrs and prisoners remain firm and will not be harmed, and that is what the Palestinian leadership has emphasized and is emphasizing.' He added: 'President Abbas’ position in this matter is firm and clear that the allowances of the prisoners and the Martyrs' families will not be harmed.'
He added: 'They want to criminalize the Palestinian people’s struggle before the world, to present them as terrorists, and to prevent relatives from [receiving] salaries that will support them, while the Israeli criminals are receiving three salaries (sic., Israeli criminals receive no money from the Israeli government; see note below)."
Click to view bulletin
Law to deduct terrorist salaries from PA tax money - Israeli law stating that the PA payments to terrorists and the families of dead terrorists is a financial incentive to terror. The law instructs the state to deduct and freeze the amount of money the PA pays in salaries to imprisoned terrorists and families of "Martyrs" from the tax money Israel collects for the PA. Should the PA stop these payments for a full year, the Israeli government would have the option of giving all or part of the frozen money to the PA.
The law was enacted by the Israeli Parliament on July 2, 2018, and its first implementation was approved by Israel's Security Cabinet on Feb. 17, 2019, when it decided to withhold 502,697,000 Israeli shekels (approximately $138 million) from the PA. In response, the PA announced it would not receive any of the tax money collected by Israel unless it also included the frozen amount.
During the initial parliamentary vote in 2018, the law's sponsor Avi Dichter said: “The Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee received much help in its deliberations... from Palestinian Media Watch who provided us with authentic data that enabled productive and professional deliberations, nuances that are very difficult to achieve without precise data.” [Israeli Parliament website, July 2, 2018]
Palestinian claim that Israel pays Israeli prisoners: Contrary to the Palestinian claims, Israel does not make any payments to Israeli prisoners. Israel’s Social Security Law states specifically that, notwithstanding any entitlement, benefits due to a person held in prison will not be paid. In some cases, even child benefits that are paid to the parents of a minor are stopped, if that minor is convicted and sentenced to a prison sentence. Similarly, a person who is entitled to an Insured Income from the State loses that entitlement for any time he is held in prison following a criminal conviction. Furthermore, accepting the Palestinian claim that Israel makes payments to Israeli prisoners would lead to the untenable conclusion that Israel pays a salary even to Israeli Arab prisoners who carried out terrorist attacks against other Israeli citizens.
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