This article reveals
the scale of the budget, the large funds paid by the Palestine National Fund
(PNF) to terrorists, and its promotion of terrorism against the state of
Israel.
Since its
establishment in 1964, with the purpose of serving as a body to manage
Palestinian funds, the Palestine National Fund (PNF) has changed its objective.
In recent years, a large part of the PNF’s budget has been diverted to support
terrorists, at the expense of promoting the welfare of the Palestinian
population. Due to this, on the 16th of March 2017 Israeli Defense Minister
Avigdor Lieberman designated the Palestine National Fund as a terrorist
organization. Following the designation, Coordinator of Government Activities
in the Territories Major General Yoav (Poly) Mordechai instructed to revoke the
VIP Permit of Ramzi Khouri, CEO of the PNF.
Commission for
Prisoners Affairs: Same Body, New Name
The Palestine National
Fund, whose sources of income and expenses are partially known, has become the
primary funder of the Commission for Prisoners’ Affairs since 2014. The PNF
began its funding of the commission after criticism was raised to the
Palestinian Authority (PA) by key players in the international community
regarding the activity of the Ministry of Prisoners’ Affairs. The international
community's claim was that the Ministry of Prisoners’ Affairs should not
allocate money from its budget to fund the welfare of terror operatives, as a reward
for carrying out security offenses and at the expense of all
Palestinians.
Following pressure
from the international community, the Palestinian Authority decided to
subordinate the Ministry of Prisoners’ Affairs to the PNF and changed its name
to the Commission for Prisoners’ Affairs. It is clear that this new commission
is similar to the ministry—in terms of managers, offices and even contains a
nearly identical budget that stands at close to half a billion NIS per year.
This new commission is a similar replica of the ministry, but with a new name.
The purpose of
differentiating between the Palestinian Authority and the body financing the
prisoners is to improve the PA’s image and make it difficult for Israel and the
international community to uncover the source of aid money to terrorists in
prison. However, their attempt failed and the plot was revealed. Since 2014,
the Palestine National Fund has transferred payments to Palestinian terrorists,
which often occurs even after these terrorists receive funds from the terror
organizations with whom they affiliate. Additionally, the commission transfers
monthly payments to released prisoners, amongst those are murderers and suicide
attack planners. In fact, released Palestinian terrorists who currently live in
Judea and Samaria receive a salary for their involvement in terror activities.
Imagine what could be accomplished if instead of paying terrorists, the funds
went to education, infrastructure and cushioning the cost of living for
Palestinians.
12,000 NIS a Month for
Terrorists in Prison
For those who wonder how
much a prisoner receives—one who has been convicted of involvement in terror
and now sits in an Israeli prison—the following figures will clarify the
absurdity. A prisoner who is sent to prison for a term of up to two years will
receive 1,400 NIS from the Palestine National Fund each month, and the amount
increases in accordance with the prison term. A murderer of an Israeli citizen
or one who plans a suicide bombing who has been sentenced to more than 20 years
in prison, earns 12,000 NIS a month.
The large budget
allocated to prisoners is even more absurd when it comes to the payments for
released prisoners, especially when this money should be directed to civilian
projects for the welfare of the Palestinian population. Released prisoners who
have served five years in an Israeli prison, after being involved in terrorist
activities, receives a monthly salary of 2,000 NIS from the PNF. A prisoner
serving over 30 years in prison will receive 11,000 NIS per month from the PNF,
an amount much greater than the average Palestinian salary. In addition,
released terrorists who committed acts of terror against innocent Israeli
citizens receive a one-time payment when they are released from prison. This
payment can reach up to 25,000 dollars.
Furthermore, these
payments can even be doubled. Prisoners who affiliate with terror
organizations, such as Hamas and the Islamic Jihad, receive large sums of money
from both the PNF and their affiliated organization. On the one hand, the
Palestinian Authority uses their security forces to stop Hamas activists and
prevent terror attacks. On the other hand, the PNF transfers money which
encourages more terror attacks. For example, Ibrahim Ghaneemat, a Hamas
operative directly involved with the murder of many Israeli civilians, received
more than one million NIS since his arrest in 2005, of which over 700,000 NIS
came from the Palestine National Fund, while the rest came from Hamas.
Payments to Encourage
Terror
The payments
transferred to terrorists in prison and to released terrorists encourage other
Palestinians to join this cycle of violence and terrorism. Instead of investing
money in educating children on peace and improving the standard of living for
law-abiding Palestinians, the PNF exploits its budget to fund and celebrate
criminals. This encourages more criminals to join the circle of violence, which
cannot end if it continues as such.
It is enough to read
the testimonies of Palestinians arrested for the second time by Israel to
illustrate the fact that the Palestine National Fund—the PLO’s body—supports
terrorist activity. These Palestinians continued to engage in terrorist
activity in order to return to prison and complete the five-year minimum quota
and thus, receive a fixed salary for life as a released prisoner. These
attempts to fulfill a minimum quota have become an ugly phenomenon that must be
condemned.
In addition, there is
clear evidence that senior members of the PNF attempted to conceal from the
world their money transfers to prisoners involved in terrorism against Israel.
However, members of the international community quickly picked up and
publicized this scheme. United States Chairman of the House Committee on
Foreign Affairs Ed Royce, said in November 2016 that “this ‘pay-to-slay scheme'
must stop," adding that the most brutal terrorists enjoy the highest
salaries.
The designation of the
Palestine National Fund as a terrorist organization is an important step in
making it clear, to Palestinians and to the entire world, that Israel will not
remain silent about the funding of terrorists, whether imprisoned or released.
The large amounts of money transferred by the PNF to these terrorists every
month—who in many instances receive an additional salary from their own terror
organizations—prove that the PNF encourages more terrorism against the State of
Israel. These funds could be allocated to development and infrastructure for
Palestinians, but the PNF chooses instead to assist those responsible for
destruction and terror.
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