ELDER OF ZIYON: Hanan Ashrawi calls on international community to defend PLO payments to terrorists

Times of Israel describes a bill submitted to the Knesset to stop Palestinian payments to terrorists and their families::

Lawmakers pushed forward Monday with a bill allowing the government to hold up money to the Palestinian Authority over its payments to convicted terrorists, a policy critics say encourages terror attacks on Israelis.

The bill, which passed its first reading on a 55-14 vote, would leave the government’s top-level security cabinet with the final say on whether to “freeze” transfer payments to the PA to offset the stipends.

It will now move to committee and must still pass two more Knesset plenum readings before becoming law.

According to the Defense Ministry, the Palestinian Authority in 2017 paid NIS 687 million ($198 million) to the so-called “martyrs’ families fund” and NIS 550 million ($160 million) to the Palestinian Prisoners’ Club — some 7 percent of its overall budget.

Palestinian prisoners serving 20-30 year sentences for carrying out terror attacks are eligible for a lifetime NIS 10,000 ($2,772) monthly stipend, the Defense Ministry said, citing PA figures. Those prisoners who receive a 3-5 year sentence get a monthly wage of NIS 2,000 ($554). Palestinian prisoners who are married, have children, live in Jerusalem, or hold Israeli citizenship receive additional payments.

The Defense Ministry on Sunday released figures alleging that some terrorists who killed Israelis will be paid more than NIS 10 million ($2.78 million) each throughout their lifetimes by the PA.

Critics of the current bill have warned it could bankrupt the PA, leading to its collapse.

Palestine Times reports that Hanan Ashrawi wants the international community to protect PLO payments to terrorists. Really.

Member of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization Hanan Ashrawi condemned the Knesset vote on the first reading of a bill to deduct the salaries of prisoners and allocations of families of the martyrs of the tax revenues collected by Israel for the Palestinian government, describing it systematic and deliberate looting of the rights of our people.

Ashrawi said in a statement on behalf of the PLO: "The organization considers the legislation that Israel is launching in order to serve its occupation and continue its policy of eliminating the existence of our people on its land to be totally racist and inhuman."

At the end of her statement, Ashrawi called on the international community to take a serious view of Israeli violations and crimes, to stop the policy of disregard and negligence towards its crimes, to take deterrent and punitive measures against it and to hold it accountable for its ongoing crimes and violations and to provide urgent international protection to our unarmed people.

Yes, Hanan Ashrawi is defending paying terrorists as a human right.

It sounds bizarre now, but in a few years the UN General Assembly will probably pass a resolution to protect the Right to Encourage Terrorists to Kill Jews.

BCC & Noah Pollak, an American political writer specializing in issues concerning foreign policy, Israel, and the Jewish people

BCC & Noah Pollak, an American political writer specializing in issues concerning foreign policy, Israel, and the Jewish people, at the StandWithUs JD Fellowship Inaugural Legal Networking Reception in BelAir.

Noah was instrumental in advancing the Taylor Force Act: Congress' attempt to address a serious problem that has gone unchecked for decades: The Palestinian Authority is using western aid money to pay salaries and benefits to terrorists and their families, including to terrorists who have killed Americans. These are not envelopes of cash slipped to a handful of people – the “pay to slay” program is codified in detail by PA law, is administered by two ministries with hundreds of staff, and pays tens of thousands of people a total of $315 million per year, or nearly 8 percent of the PA’s $4 billion budget.

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas says he would rather lose the presidency than stop the pay-for-slay program. “Even if I will have to leave my position,” he declared this week in response to US and Israeli pressure, “I will not compromise on the salary of a martyr or a prisoner.”

Noah Pollak, a strong supporter of the Taylor Force Act, tells us: “The administration doesn't oppose TFA in principle, but it does view its timing as inconvenient to the effort to restart negotiations. This White House, like past White Houses, wishes to pursue its foreign policy goals without interference from Congress. But every exemption that is added to the bill frees up money for the PA to spend on terrorism, and communicates to the Palestinians that the US doesn't really mean it when we say terrorism is unacceptable. I believe the only morally and politically defensible position is zero exemptions.”

#standwithus, #proisraellawyers, #noahpollak,#taylorforceact, #arabpayforslayprogram,

 — withNoah Pollak.