Abbas' advisor: Salaries to "the families of the prisoners and Martyrs constitute social aid that the PA provides"
Headline: "Shaath: The prisoners and Martyrs' salaries constitute care for innocents who have been caused harm because of Israel"
"Palestinian [PA] President Mahmoud Abbas' advisor [on Foreign Affairs and International Relations] Nabil Shaath said that the salaries (rawatib) of the families of the prisoners and Martyrs (Shahids) constitute social aid that the PA provides to the families. Shaath added in a speech at the Herzliya Conference for security [of the IDC Herzliya Institute for Policy and Strategy] near Tel Aviv on Thursday [June 21, 2017] that the salaries are a social obligation towards innocents that have been harmed as a result of the imprisonment or killing of their loved ones as a result of the military occupation.
He noted that the Israeli occupation authorities have arrested approximately a million Palestinians since [Israel’s] establishment in 1948, and added: 'One of every three Palestinian men has served a prison sentence in an Israeli prison - can an intelligent person claim that these million people are terrorists?' He added: 'Honestly, to describe all of our political prisoners as terrorists is racist rhetoric.'"
PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas' advisor on Foreign Affairs and International Relations Nabil Shaath’s entire speech in English on behalf of Abbas can be seen here.
"Palestinian [PA] President Mahmoud Abbas' advisor [on Foreign Affairs and International Relations] Nabil Shaath said that the salaries (rawatib) of the families of the prisoners and Martyrs (Shahids) constitute social aid that the PA provides to the families. Shaath added in a speech at the Herzliya Conference for security [of the IDC Herzliya Institute for Policy and Strategy] near Tel Aviv on Thursday [June 21, 2017] that the salaries are a social obligation towards innocents that have been harmed as a result of the imprisonment or killing of their loved ones as a result of the military occupation.
He noted that the Israeli occupation authorities have arrested approximately a million Palestinians since [Israel’s] establishment in 1948, and added: 'One of every three Palestinian men has served a prison sentence in an Israeli prison - can an intelligent person claim that these million people are terrorists?' He added: 'Honestly, to describe all of our political prisoners as terrorists is racist rhetoric.'"
PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas' advisor on Foreign Affairs and International Relations Nabil Shaath’s entire speech in English on behalf of Abbas can be seen here.