Spokesman for PLO Commission of Prisoners Affairs: “All of the prisoners and Martyrs who have struggled and sacrificed for Palestine” have right “to receive their full salaries from the PA”
Headline: "Will Israel succeed in stopping the salaries of the prisoners and Martyrs?”
"Signs of a new 'confrontation' between the PA and Israel are seen on the horizon due to a new bill submitted by Israeli Parliament members to deduct the amount of financial aid that the PA provides to the families of the Martyrs (Shahids) and prisoners from the tax money collected by Israel and returned [to the PA].
The Israeli bill, submitted by Israeli Parliament members led by Elazar Stern of the Yesh Atid party, has met with much resistance from the Palestinian [PLO] Commission for Prisoners' Affairs that considered the bill 'an Israeli political escalation against the symbols of the Palestinian resistance and national struggle, the prisoners and the prisoners who have been released from the occupation's prisons.'
Spokesman for the [PLO] Commission of Prisoners and Released Prisoners' Affairs Hassan Abd Rabbo emphasized to the [independent Palestinian news] agency Ma'an that it is the right of all of the prisoners and Martyrs who have struggled and sacrificed for Palestine to receive their full salaries from the PA. He also emphasized that all of their salaries are paid by the PLO-affiliated Palestinian National Fund, and not by the Palestinian [PA] government.
‘Approximately 7,000 prisoners within the prisons and thousands of released prisoners receive monthly salaries of more than 1,400 [Israeli] shekels, in addition to canteen money that the prisoner receives in order to buy food and essentials within the prison,' said Abd Rabbo.
The prisoner's salary changes according to the years of imprisonment, social situation, and the number of his family members, as the salary of some of the prisoners reaches 10,000 shekels, particularly those who have served more than 10 years of imprisonment.
Abd Rabbo denied that there are clauses in the Oslo Accords signed between the Israeli government and the PLO that forbid providing salaries to prisoners and the Martyrs' families. In the past the prisoners received their salaries from the Prisoner and Released Prisoner Training Program, before they were transferred to the [PA] Ministry for Prisoners' Affairs, and afterwards to the PLO Commission [of Prisoners’ Affairs] whose source of funding is the Palestinian National Fund…
PLO Executive Committee member [and Secretary-General of the Palestinian Liberation Front] Dr. Wasel Abu Yusuf emphasized that the PA and the Palestinian leadership will not neglect the Martyrs, prisoners, and wounded who have made sacrifices for Palestine and its cause.
He said that the Israeli bill is a continuation of the war that the occupation is waging against the Palestinians. He also emphasized that it is necessary to find clear tools for the struggle against this bill that harms the rights of the families that have been anchored by the PA.
In addition, he said: 'If this decision is implemented, serious and urgent steps must be taken, including turning to the international institutions and the [International] Criminal Court and revoking all agreements with the occupation.'
Those who submitted the bill claimed to the Hebrew (i.e., Israeli) newspaper Yediot Aharonot that the PA budget of 2016 showed that it transferred an amount of 1.1 billion shekels to the Martyrs and prisoners' families."
Click to view bulletin
"Signs of a new 'confrontation' between the PA and Israel are seen on the horizon due to a new bill submitted by Israeli Parliament members to deduct the amount of financial aid that the PA provides to the families of the Martyrs (Shahids) and prisoners from the tax money collected by Israel and returned [to the PA].
The Israeli bill, submitted by Israeli Parliament members led by Elazar Stern of the Yesh Atid party, has met with much resistance from the Palestinian [PLO] Commission for Prisoners' Affairs that considered the bill 'an Israeli political escalation against the symbols of the Palestinian resistance and national struggle, the prisoners and the prisoners who have been released from the occupation's prisons.'
Spokesman for the [PLO] Commission of Prisoners and Released Prisoners' Affairs Hassan Abd Rabbo emphasized to the [independent Palestinian news] agency Ma'an that it is the right of all of the prisoners and Martyrs who have struggled and sacrificed for Palestine to receive their full salaries from the PA. He also emphasized that all of their salaries are paid by the PLO-affiliated Palestinian National Fund, and not by the Palestinian [PA] government.
‘Approximately 7,000 prisoners within the prisons and thousands of released prisoners receive monthly salaries of more than 1,400 [Israeli] shekels, in addition to canteen money that the prisoner receives in order to buy food and essentials within the prison,' said Abd Rabbo.
The prisoner's salary changes according to the years of imprisonment, social situation, and the number of his family members, as the salary of some of the prisoners reaches 10,000 shekels, particularly those who have served more than 10 years of imprisonment.
Abd Rabbo denied that there are clauses in the Oslo Accords signed between the Israeli government and the PLO that forbid providing salaries to prisoners and the Martyrs' families. In the past the prisoners received their salaries from the Prisoner and Released Prisoner Training Program, before they were transferred to the [PA] Ministry for Prisoners' Affairs, and afterwards to the PLO Commission [of Prisoners’ Affairs] whose source of funding is the Palestinian National Fund…
PLO Executive Committee member [and Secretary-General of the Palestinian Liberation Front] Dr. Wasel Abu Yusuf emphasized that the PA and the Palestinian leadership will not neglect the Martyrs, prisoners, and wounded who have made sacrifices for Palestine and its cause.
He said that the Israeli bill is a continuation of the war that the occupation is waging against the Palestinians. He also emphasized that it is necessary to find clear tools for the struggle against this bill that harms the rights of the families that have been anchored by the PA.
In addition, he said: 'If this decision is implemented, serious and urgent steps must be taken, including turning to the international institutions and the [International] Criminal Court and revoking all agreements with the occupation.'
Those who submitted the bill claimed to the Hebrew (i.e., Israeli) newspaper Yediot Aharonot that the PA budget of 2016 showed that it transferred an amount of 1.1 billion shekels to the Martyrs and prisoners' families."
Click to view bulletin
» View analysis citing this item