MK Elazar Stern
MK Elazar Sternצילום: דוברות

The Ministerial Committee on Legislation will discuss next Sunday a bill that seeks to stop the salaries paid to terrorists by the Palestinian Authority every month.

The bill was submitted by Knesset members from the Yesh Atid faction - Maj.-Gen. (Res.) Elazar Stern, former ISA Director Yaakov Perry and former District Commander Mickey Levy.

According to the proposal, the State of Israel will deduct from the tax payments it transfers each year to the Palestinian Authority the amount of money transferred by the PA to the terrorists, since the transfer of funds from the PA to terrorists constitutes a violation of the Oslo Accords.

The proposal is also signed by Chairman of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee MK Avi Dichter and coalition chairman David Bitan (Likud), as well as Maj. Gen. (res.) Eyal Ben Reuven of the Zionist Union and the Chairman of Yisrael Beiteinu faction MK Robert Ilatov.

Today, part of the PA's budget, largely financed by American and European aid, is directed by PA law to salaries and financing benefits for Palestinian Arab terrorists imprisoned in Israel and to allowances for Palestinian families whose relatives have been killed or injured while attacking Israelis.

These payments amount to over NIS 1 billion (approximately $280 million) per year. According to PA law, the greater the punishment imposed on the terrorist, ie, the greater harm he or she inflicted on Israel's citizens, the greater the salary he received.

Many of the terrorists receive a much higher salary than the average wage per employee in the Palestinian Authority. In addition, the terrorists gain fame from the PA and its leaders. For example, a terrorist involved in the murder of 66 Israelis and sentenced to 67 life sentences has received a cumulative sum of NIS 700,000 (approximately $200,000) since his arrest in 2002.

MK Stern, the initiator of the proposal, believes the bill has a chance to go through, even though it is being promoted by his opposition faction, and he hopes the coalition will decide to support it. "We must put an end to the fact that terrorists and their families are paid for the murder of Israelis.

"It can not be that terrorists will receive salaries for murdering Jews. The state must do everything possible to fight terrorism. This law is critical to Israel's national security."

Stern added, "The PA's payments to terrorists are not only incitement but also an incentive to carry out acts of terror, and the PA actually encourages the murder of Israelis."