A new study reveals that the Palestinian Authority provides terrorists in prison with the best and most lucrative salaries and conditions compared to terrorist organizations around the world, including ISIS, al-Qaeda, Boko Haram and Hezbollah. This encourages potential terrorists to enter the circle of terror, and prevents detained terrorists from relapsing.
Mahmoud Abbas' speech at the UN (archive) // Reuters
"Under current policy, potential terrorists win twice – they become heroes and role models, and they also receive a high salary that will ensure a comfortable life for them and their families."
The article, written by Dr. Shai Farber of the Department of Criminology at Emek Yizreel Academic College and published in the prestigious journal Studies in Conflict & Terrorism, reviews the PA's payment system, which pays terrorists hundreds of millions of shekels annually.
Terrorism Laws
The Palestinian Prisoners Law stipulates that anyone imprisoned for terrorist activity against Israel will receive a large-scale payment, including a salary for the prisoner and his family, funding legal aid, payment for education for the terrorist and his family, vocational training for released terrorists, and guaranteeing employment. The payment mechanism is based on the principle according to which the duration of the prison term determines the amount of payments. The longer a terrorist operative's prison term, the higher the payments.
"A terrorist sentenced to 30 years in prison or more, usually in cases of murder, is entitled to a basic monthly salary of about $3,500 and other benefits, several times higher than the average salary in the PA. The more serious the offense, the higher the salary," the study said.
Get a series of benefits. Palestinian prisoners,
A terrorist will also receive supplements according to criteria such as the number of women, place of residence, number of children, and disability benefits for wounded terrorists. Monthly payments are also provided to the families of terrorists who have died ("martyrs").
The Palestinian Prisoner Law also provides for benefits such as tuition at institutions of higher education, health insurance for released prisoners, a one-time release grant, and payment for the purchase of products in the prison canteen. Released terrorists are also entitled to work in PA offices – each year of imprisonment equals one year of seniority in the workplace – to pay for clothing expenses and to extended health insurance, which in some cases includes medical treatment in Europe.
The payment of salaries to terrorists, according to the article, is not unique only to the Palestinian terrorist organizations. Hezbollah, for example, provides a supportive envelope for the organization's military infrastructure in order to enable terrorists to fight when they have a layer of economic protection for their families.
Hezbollah pays monthly salaries to the family of a terrorist who dies or is wounded, and provides assistance in purchasing a house for the terrorist's family, covering old debts, assistance with wedding expenses, purchasing electrical appliances and arranging work for the terrorist's children. Hezbollah also pays for education for the children of a dead terrorist, including private tutoring, as well as medical treatment amounting to about $100 million a year.
Economic recruitment methods. ISIS terrorists, photo: AP
ISIS, Dr. Farber writes, has also recruited fighters through salaries and benefits. Terrorists receive a monthly salary, which also includes supplements for married terrorists and according to the number of children. The terrorist organization also pays for the cost of the house, electrical equipment, food and medical care. Similar "benefits" exist with Boko Haram in Nigeria, al-Qaeda, and others. However, in an overall comparison of various terrorist organizations, the mechanism for paying benefits to terrorists belonging to the Palestinian terrorist organizations is the most sophisticated of all – both in terms of salaries and accompanying conditions, and in the sophistication of the pricing and payment method.
Western countries alongside Israel
Western countries, at least declaratively, are making efforts to prevent this phenomenon. In the United States, the Tyler Force Act was passed, designed to halt economic aid to the PA until it stops paying salaries to terrorists, and states that these payments are an "incentive to commit terrorism." European countries have also reduced financial aid to the PA, since it pays salaries to terrorists. Israel passed a law in 2018 freezing tax revenues transferred by Israel to the PA, but in practice the law is implemented quite partially.
"The freezing policy is necessary to effectively suppress terrorist salaries," Dr. Farber writes in response to criticism that freezing funds contravenes international agreements. "Paying salaries to terrorists contradicts all international and regional conventions. Accordingly, the freeze policy does not violate international law, but rather implements it.
"The economic consideration in receiving salaries may serve as an incentive for terrorism. The potential terrorist knows that he and his family have a financial safety net for the rest of his life. According to the current policy, the potential terrorist is acquitted twice – he becomes a hero and role model, and also receives a high salary."
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