After PMW calls for action, Israeli government seizes bank accounts of terrorists

Two days ago PMW reported that the salaries that Israeli-Arab terrorist prisoners receive from the Palestinian Authority are illegal under Israeli law. In addition, PMW noted that as Israeli citizens, the terrorists should also have been paying income tax on their monthly salaries.

PMW concluded: “The money has been paid and is paid to the terrorists must be seized relying on the rules regarding tax evasion and anti-terror financing laws.”  

This morning, Israel’s Minister of Defense, Naftali Bennett, announced that he was doing just that. 

The following is a Hebrew copy of the order released by the Ministry of Defense, with translation of the visible text:

“Administrative Seizure Order (S.O. – 56/19) War on Terror Law, 5776-2016 
 
"[  ] according to clauses 56(b)(2) and 56(d) of the War on Terror Law, 5776-2016 [  ], and after I have become convinced that the following specified  sums that were received by [] from the Palestinian Authority (henceforth – the money"), are money that was obtained as payment for committing a serious crime of terror or that were designated as payment or reward as stated, or [  ] for the committing a serious crime of terror; I hereby order the temporary seizure of the money [  ] their value, and their transfer to the Forfeiture Unit of the General Trustee: [Followed by a list of the names the Israeli Arab terrorists]."

So far the Israeli government action was limited to the bank accounts of a limited number of terrorists. But with the information available to the Israeli authorities, additional seizing of terror reward money from Israeli Arab terrorists can be expected.

Earlier this year, the Israeli government likewise acted soon after a PMW report. On January 24, 2019, PMW announced our calculations that the PA had paid 502 million shekels as salaries to terrorist prisoners in 2018, and that under the new Israeli law, Israel had to deduct this amount from the tax transfers Israel makes the Palestinian Authority in 2019. 

Less than a month later, on February 17, 2019, Israel’s Security Cabinet announced that it would be deducting exactly that amount during the course of 2019 from the funds designated for transfer to the Palestinian Authority.

PMW continues to be the world leader exposing ethical, moral, and criminal violations by the Palestinian Authority which are the true impediments to peace. These PMW disclosures have led to international condemnations and financial measures against the PA, not only by Israel, but by many governments around the world, causing significant political and financial consequences to the PA.