After banks refuse to transfer terror salaries, PA will rely on post office for payments
Headline: “The prisoners’ salaries will be paid tomorrow through the post office branches”
“The [PLO] Commission of Prisoners’ Affairs said in a statement it issued today, Monday, [April 5, 2021,] that the salaries of the prisoners and released prisoners will be paid tomorrow, Tuesday, through the Palestinian post office branches in all districts of the West Bank, and through the commission’s departments in the Gaza Strip.
The commission explained that the decision to pay the prisoners’ salaries through the post office branches was made following a meeting held between the [PA] Ministry of Finance, the [PA] Ministry of Communications and IT, and the Palestinian [PA] Monetary Authority. This was after the banks refused to accept the salary sheets of the prisoners and released prisoners due to the Israeli threats to harm and sue them, if they do not stop holding contacts with the prisoners and released prisoners (refers to the application of much of Israel's Anti-Terror Law to the West Bank, including rendering banks liable to punishment for facilitating PA terror salaries -Ed.).
The commission noted that the released prisoners will receive payment this month through the post office branches, until the process of integrating them into the state institutions is completed. Those of them who will work and be integrated into the official civilian and military institutions will be paid through the institution they are affiliated with via smart cards.
It added that the mechanism for paying the salaries of the prisoners who are in prison will continue to be through the post office branches. Regarding the salaries of the prisoners and released prisoners in the Gaza Strip, they will receive them after contacting the commission’s departments in the Gaza Strip.”
Israeli army legislation which applies parts of Israel's 2016 Anti-Terror Law to the West Bank (taking effect on May 9, 2020). The law prohibits numerous terror related offenses, including terror funding/rewarding and holds heads of terror organizations responsible for murder committed by members of the organization. The law criminalizes the provision of funds for or the payment of rewards for the commission of terrorist offenses, such as the salaries the PA pays to terrorist prisoners and released prisoners. The provision also applies to any person or body - such as a bank - that facilitates such funding or rewarding of terror offenses. Based on this last provision, PMW sent letters in April 2020 to the heads of banks in the PA areas warning them that they must freeze the accounts of terrorists and their proxies and transfer them to the Israeli army or face legal consequences.