On 17th anniversary of Hebrew University bombing: PA has already paid the murderers over 4.3 million shekels
17 years ago today a bomb was detonated in the Hebrew University cafeteria in Jerusalem murdering 9 people, including five American citizens, and injuring over 80 others. This attack was one of many terror attacks carried out by the same terrorist cell.
Six Palestinians were convicted of the crime and sentenced to multiple life sentences. Since their arrests, the Palestinian Authority has rewarded the imprisoned terrorists paying them no less than 4,371,100 shekels ($1,257,259).
Among the convicted terrorists for this and other attacks were Adballah Barghouti - serving 67 life sentences, one for each of the victims he murdered - and Ibrahim Hamed - serving 54 life sentences, one for each of the victims he murdered. Through June 2019, the PA cumulatively paid them 1,271,000 shekels ($339,862) and continues to pay them thousands of shekels per month.
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The other four terrorists - Wael Qassem, Wassim Abbasi, Alla Aldin Abbasi and Muhammed Odeh - were residents of Jerusalem, entitling them to a salary supplement of 300 shekels/month. Each of them has been paid over 770,000 shekels ($220,733) since their arrest in August 2002. Each of them is currently receiving 7,300 shekels ($1,951) per month.
Despite its (self-inflicted) financial crisis, since the beginning of 2019 alone, the PA has cumulatively paid the terrorists almost 300,000 shekels ($86,000).
The PA obligated itself to pay monthly salaries to imprisoned terrorists when it passed the Law of Prisoners and Released Prisoners in 2004. The exact amount paid is set in regulations passed by the PA government (see chart below). Mahmoud Abbas has twice raised the salaries the PA pays to the imprisoned terrorists.
Top PA leaders have explained that the PA is "obligated" to pay salaries to the Palestinian terrorists in prisons and the families of suicide bombers and other so-called "Martyrs," because they were "soldiers" of the PA, who were "sent" by the PA and who acted out of "national interest and not for personal reasons." Most significantly, they "received orders" from the PA.
The PA law of Prisoners and Released Prisoners prohibits the PA from signing any peace agreement that does not include the release of all the Palestinian terrorists, including the six responsible for the Hebrew university attack, and many other mass murderers.