Imprisoned Hamas terrorists are now eligible to receive an extra NIS 200 per month from their families to purchase goods in the prison canteen, the pro-Israel watchdog Im Tirtzu revealed this week.
Responding to a request submitted by Im Tirtzu's Legal Division via the Freedom of Information Law, the Israel Prison Service reported that it updated its guidelines in July to allow this additional stipend to jailed Hamas security prisoners.
These new guidelines are an apparent contradiction to the policy announced in January 2019 by then Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan, who, following the recommendation of a public committee, vowed to impose a series of new guidelines aimed to increase deterrence by stiffening the restrictions for jailed terrorists.
One of the new guidelines included a "significant cutback…in the monies deposited by family members for terrorists in the prisons through which they purchase products in the canteen."
Despite this, the Prison Service revealed that beginning in July, Hamas terrorists can receive NIS 1,200 per month as opposed to the previously allowed NIS 1,000 per month for use in the prison canteen.
According to the Prison Service, imprisoned Hamas terrorists who are residents of the Palestinian Authority receive NIS 400 of their monthly NIS 1,200 from the Palestinian Authority.
Responding further to Im Tirtzu's request, the Prison Service said that there were some 1,200 items in the prison canteen available for purchase.
According to the figures sent by the Prison Service, imprisoned terrorists have received a total of more than NIS 165,988,771 for canteen purchases from January 2015 to May 2020, an average of some NIS 30,000,000 annually.
Alon Schvartzer, Director of Policy for Im Tirtzu that has been a leading advocate to reduce the benefits of terrorists in prison, called the additional stipend a "sick reality that needs to be cured immediately."
"Potential terrorists know that in addition to receiving blood payments from the Palestinian Authority and legal protection from foreign government-funded Israeli NGOs, they will receive lavish conditions in Israeli prison. This lack of deterrence leads to further terrorism and bloodshed."
Schvartzer continued: "The Public Security Minister and the heads of the Prison Service must see to it that imprisoned terrorists receive the bare minimum required conditions and nothing more. It is inconceivable that terrorists receive more benefits than regular criminals, so much so that Arab criminals at times claim that their crimes were nationalistically motivated in order to receive better conditions."
"Reducing the benefits for terrorists in prison is a basic and necessary step to increase deterrence and to protect the lives of Israeli citizens," Schvartzer added.