PMW presents report in British Parliament: PA payment of salaries to terrorists and British funding

In April 2011, the PA signed and published a law in the official Palestinian Authority Registry which put all Palestinians and Israeli Arabs imprisoned in Israel for terror crimes on the PA payroll to receive a monthly salary from the PA.

In addition, the PA honors terrorists who have killed civilians, presenting them as heroes and role models and glorifies terror attacks as heroic, including suicide bombings.

The PA funds these salaries and activities from its general budget.

In 2010, according to PA news reports, Britain contributed £90 million to the PA general budget. Britain has committed to continue its contributions to the PA with £86 million per year until 2015.

In July this year, the British International Development Minister signed a Memorandum of Understanding with PA Prime Minister Fayyad. A press release from the British Department for International Development explained part of the memorandum:
Palestinian Media Watch director Itamar Marcus presented these and other findings on Tuesday in British Parliament, documenting the connection between British funding and PA glorification of terrorists and payment of their salaries. Read the full report below or in pdf.

Palestinian Authority funding
and glorification of terrorists

- The Palestinian Authority pays monthly salaries to 5,500 prisoners in Israeli prisons, including terrorists
- The PA honors terrorists who have killed civilians, presenting them as heroes and role models
- The PA glorifies terror attacks as heroic, including suicide bombings
- The PA funds these salaries and activities from its general budget

- In 2010, according to PA news reports, Britain contributed £90 million to the PA general budget.
- Britain committed to contribute £86 million per year to the PA until 2015


1. New PA law enacts payment of monthly salaries to terrorists in Israeli prisons:
A law signed and published in the official Palestinian Authority Registry in April 2011 puts all Palestinians and Israeli Arabs imprisoned in Israel for terror crimes on the PA payroll to receive a monthly salary from the PA. [Official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, April 15, 2011] This new law called PA Government Resolution of 2010, numbers 21 and 23, formalizes what has long been a PA practice.

2. Recipients of the monthly salary:
The PA has defined by law which Palestinians would be considered "prisoners":
According to the PA definition, more than 5,500 Palestinian prisoners serving time for terror-related offenses are recipients. [Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, July 14, 2011] Palestinian car thieves in Israeli prisons will not receive a salary, but every terrorist in prison including murderers are on the PA payroll. The salary goes directly to the terrorist or the terrorist's family, and prisoners receive salary from the day of arrest. [Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, April 15, 2011]

3. Hamas and Fatah terrorist prisoners receive monthly salaries:
"The PA's Ministry for Prisoner Affairs said that its policy had always been to pay salaries to prisoners and their families 'regardless of their political affiliations.'"

4. Total amount that the PA pays in salaries to prisoners monthly:
Total: 17,678,247 Shekel (£3,000,000) a month, based on May 2011.

5. Terrorists in prison receive higher average salary than PA civil servants and military personnel?

Salary recipients	Average monthly salary
Civil servant	2,882 Shekel
Military personnel	2,704 Shekel
Prisoner	3,129 Shekel

6. PA salary payments to prisoners is dependent on foreign funding
The new PA law stipulates that payment of salaries "will be implemented... on the basis of available sources of funding." [Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, April 15, 2011] Accordingly, it is the contributions by Britain and other foreign donors to the PA general budget that facilitates the payment of monthly salaries to the terrorist prisoners.



7. The PA leadership and the structures they control present terrorist murderers as heroes and role models, and use the PA budget to honor them and glorify their terror attacks.

The following are examples from 2011:

8. PA TV honors terrorists involved in suicide bombing that killed 15
PA TV program In a Fighter's Home sent special greetings and praise to terrorist Ahlam Tamimi, who planned a bombing and escorted the suicide bomber by foot through Jerusalem to the Sbarro pizza shop in August 2001. 15 people were murdered in the attack, 7 of them children. The program also visited the home of terrorist Muhammad Wael Daghlas, who planned the attack and sent the suicide bomber. [PA TV, Aug. 10, 2011, reported in PMW bulletin, Sept. 4, 2011, http://bit.ly/nowmNF, http://bit.ly/oKDiBK]

9. PA TV continues to glorify most lethal terror attack in Israeli history
In 1978, a group of terrorists led by Dalal Mughrabi sailed from Lebanon to Israel to carry out a terror attack. They hijacked a bus and killed 37 Israeli civilians, 12 of them children. On the anniversary of the Fatah movement, PA TV chose to glorify the terror attack with a music video celebrating Mughrabi and the attack she led. The video shows a reenactment of the terrorists coming from Lebanon to Israel in boats. PA TV rebroadcast the video, which describes the terrorists as having "no fear of death or the darkness of prison," and glorifies Mughrabi's death: "On the coast [Dalal] Mughrabi's blood was shed, the color of [red] coral on [white] lemon flowers." [PA TV, Jan. 2, Aug. 24, and Sept. 4, 2011, reported in PMW bulletins, January 21 and Aug. 29, 2011, http://bit.ly/q4KMFs, http://bit.ly/qRb497, http://bit.ly/o24M4F]

10. PA TV honors terrorist involved in 3 attacks that killed 51
PA TV program For You honored terrorist prisoner Salim Hajja, by visiting his family. Hajja is serving 16 life sentences for involvement in three suicide bombings that killed a total of 51 people. Hajja's mother-in-law expresses the hope that Hajja's son Omar will be a "hero" like his father. The son, Omar, says, "Daddy is a hero. I am very proud of him." [PA TV (Fatah), Aug. 11, 2011]

11. Abbas representative honors terrorist planner of attack that killed 11
Amin Al-Hindi was a senior planner of the murder of 11 Israeli athletes in the Munich Olympics in 1972. Abdallah Al-Ifranji, special representative of President Mahmoud Abbas, honored Al-Hindi by laying a wreath on his grave on the anniversary of his death. [Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, Aug. 18, 2011]

12. PA TV honors planner of suicide bombing that killed 14
Program For You honored prisoners Abd Al-Rahman and Abdallah Al-Wahsh, by visiting their homes in Jenin. Abdallah Al-Wahsh was active in Islamic Jihad, and sent a suicide bomber to an attack in 2002, killing 14. Abd Al-Rahman was a leader of the Jerusalem Brigades, the military wing of Islamic Jihad, and was involved in terror attacks. [PA TV (Fatah), Aug. 18, 2011]

13. PA TV honors terrorist prisoner with visit to her family
PA TV program In a Fighter's Home honored terrorist prisoner Rima Daragmeh by visiting her family together with the PA Minister of Prisoners' Affairs, Issa Karake. Daragmeh was involved in enlisting the woman who carried out a suicide bombing in Afula in 2003, and was arrested while intending to carry out a suicide bombing. [PA TV (Fatah), Aug. 16, 2011]

14. Presidential gift awarded to family of terrorist who planned suicide bombing
Minister of Prisoners' Affairs, Issa Karake, and the District Governor of Hebron, Kamel Hamid, honored terrorist prisoner Al-Sharbati, presenting his family with a presidential gift from Mahmoud Abbas. Al-Sharbati was a senior member of Tanzim, a military wing of Fatah, and was involved in planning a suicide bombing in Jerusalem. [Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, Aug. 8, 2011]

15. PA TV honors planner of suicide bombing with visit to his home
PA Minister of Prisoners' Affairs, Issa Karake, and District Governor of Hebron, Kamel Hamid again honored terrorist prisoner Yasser Al-Sharbati, with a visit to his family on the PA TV program In a Fighter's Home. As stated, Al-Sharbati was involved in planning a suicide bombing in Jerusalem. [PA TV (Fatah), Aug. 15, 2011]

16. PA TV honors female suicide bomber with visit to her mother
PA TV program The Best Mothers interviewed the mother of female suicide bomber Darin Abu Aisheh, who carried out a terror attack in 2002, wounding 3 Israelis. The program shows a poster of Abu Aisheh displayed in the mother's home, describing her as "the heroic Martyrdom-seeker." [PA TV, Aug. 3, 2011, reported in PMW bulletin, Aug. 10, 2011, http://bit.ly/nfoAXm, http://bit.ly/pmjTLH]

17. PA TV honors terrorist "Martyr" with visit to his mother
PA TV program The Best Mothers interviewed the mother of a bomb maker from Fatah's military wing, the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, named Yusuf Shaker Al-Asi. PA TV included in the edited feature a poem and a poster of the bomb maker with an inscription praising Martyrdom for Allah. [PA TV, Aug. 2, 2011, reported in PMW bulletin, Aug. 18, 2011, http://bit.ly/pTSfSh, http://bit.ly/mUZVK8]

18. PA TV honors terrorist who killed 30 with visit to his home
PA TV program In a Fighter's Home visits the home of prisoner Anas Jaradat, who served as head of the Islamic Jihad in Jenin and was responsible for bringing 3 car bombs into Israel, killing nearly 30 Israelis. Secretary of the Fatah branch in Jenin, Ata Abu Ramila, referred to Jaradat on the program as "the heroic Jihad-figher prisoner" and expressed his pride in "all the heroic prisoners." [PA TV (Fatah), Aug. 3, 2011, http://bit.ly/pvbdJ3]

19. PA TV glorifies terrorist who killed 3 with visit to his home
PA TV program In a Fighter's Home visits the home of prisoner Amer Abu Sarhan, convicted of stabbing 3 Israelis to death in 1990. The District Governor of Bethlehem refers to Sarhan as "the heroic prisoner" and says, "We honor him greatly... To all his fellow prisoners - the brave and heroic who are resolute in Ribat (i.e., religious conflict/war), to the glorious female prisoners in the occupation's prisons - we salute you [and express our] utmost appreciation and pride." [PA TV (Fatah), Aug. 2, 2011, http://bit.ly/oQlYrg]

20. PA TV rebroadcasts video presenting female terrorist as role model
PA TV repeatedly broadcast a video honoring terrorist Dalal Mughrabi, referring to her as a symbol of "Martyrdom" and "victory over enmity." Dalal Mughrabi led a bus hijacking in 1978, killing 37 Israeli civilians, 12 of them children. [PA TV (Fatah), May - July, 2011, twice weekly, Nov. - Dec., 2010 weekly, reported in PMW bulletin, Aug. 29, 2011, http://bit.ly/qRb497, http://bit.ly/pny4wn]

21. A Palestinian Authority summer camp for children sponsored by PA Prime Minister Salam Fayyad divided its campers into three groups named after the terrorists Dalal Mughrabi, Salah Khalaf and Abu Ali Mustafa. [Al-Ayyam, July 20, 2011, reported in PMW bulletin, July 21, 2011, http://bit.ly/oVzT5o]

Dalal Mughrabi in 1978 led the most lethal terror attack in Israel's history, in which 37 civilians were killed, including one American and 12 children.
Salah Khalaf (Abu Iyad), head of Black September terror group, planned the murder of two American diplomats, and the Munich Olympics attack in 1972, and other terror attacks.
Abu Ali Mustafa, General Secretary of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, planned many terror attacks against civilians.

22. PA Prime Minister Salam Fayyad honored terrorist bombers
"Prime Minister Salam Fayyad opened his weekly radio address... by sending greetings to the Palestinian mother in honor of Mothers' Day... He said, 'On this occasion, I will not fail to mention with honor and admiration the resolve of the female prisoners, the fighters, and of all the prisoners of freedom who are imprisoned in the Israeli prisons, experiencing indescribable suffering... I make special mention of all the female prisoners who are mothers: Iman Ghazawi;... Qahira Al-Sa'adi; Irena Sarahneh; Latifa Abu Zara'a...'" [Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, March 24, 2011, reported in PMW bulletin, March 27, 2011, http://bit.ly/gM4Fo5]

Qahira Al-Sa'adi and Irena Sarahneh, drove suicide bombers to their attacks killing 5.
Iman Ghazawi, placed a bomb in a bus station in Tel Aviv.
Latifa Abu Zara'a, smuggled a bomb into Israel for a suicide terror attack that was uncovered before it was implemented.

23. Abbas granted $2000 to family of terrorist
In January 2011, a Palestinian terrorist carrying two pipe bombs ran towards Israeli soldiers screaming "Allahu Akbar" ("Allah is Greatest"). He was shot and killed. PA Chairman Abbas granted "the relatives of the Martyr" - $2000. [Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, Jan. 25, 2011, reported in PMW bulletin, Jan. 27, 2011, http://bit.ly/ntSTqn]

24. PA Minister of Prisoners' Affairs honored terrorist responsible for murder of 30
PA Minister of Prisoners' Affairs Issa Karake visited the family of the terrorist Abbas Al-Sayid who planned the Passover suicide bombing in 2002. 30 Israelis were killed in the terror attack during the Passover Seder dinner. The PA minister handed the family an honorary plaque. [Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, March 29, 2011, reported in PMW bulletin, March 31, 2011, http://bit.ly/dUzjPa]

25. PA erected tree with pictures of 73 Palestinian prisoners serving life sentences
PA Minister of Prisoners' Affairs Issa Karake participated in a ceremony honoring all 73 Palestinians from Bethlehem serving life sentences in prison. The PA unveiled a "Tree of Freedom for Prisoners" decorated with 73 "photographs of prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment." [Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, April 20, 2011, reported in PMW bulletin, May 19, 2011, http://bit.ly/jgbfME]

26. PA officials visited homes of terrorists serving life sentences
Riyad Al-Amour - Serving 11 life sentences for murder of 9 Israelis and 3 Palestinians he suspected of helping Israel.
Adnan Al-Afandi - Attempted to kill two children by stabbing them, 1992
Nasser and Mahmoud Abu Sorour - Participated in murder of Israeli Intelligence agent.
Rizq Salah - Killed an Israeli soldier with a bomb in Bethlehem, 1993.

27. The official PA daily: 4 terrorists involved in murdering 117 Israelis are "heroic"
The official PA daily reported on the visit of the Palestinian Prisoners' Center for Studies to the homes of terrorists serving life sentences for murder. The PA daily referred to the terrorists as follows: "The heroic prisoners Abbas and Abdallah Barghouti, Mahmoud Issa, Jamal Abu Al-Haija, Hassan Salameh..." [Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, April 13, 2011]

Abdallah Barghouti - sentenced to 67 life sentences for involvement in suicide bombing attacks in which 66 Israelis were murdered: Sbarro restaurant (Aug. 9, 2001), Moment Cafe (March 9, 2002), and triple suicide bombing at Ben Yehuda pedestrian mall (Dec. 1, 2001).
Hassan Salameh - serving 46 life sentences for heading the terror infrastructure that carried out 2 suicide bombings on no. 18 buses in Jerusalem (first attack on Feb. 25, 1996, second attack on March 3, 1996), and the suicide bombing at the Ashkelon Junction hitchhike point (Feb. 25, 1996). 46 people were killed in the attacks and around 100 were wounded.
Jamal Abu Al-Haija - 9 life sentences for involvement in suicide bombing attacks in Hadera shopping mall (Oct. 26, 2005) and at Herzl Street in Netanya (Dec. 5, 2005)
Mahmoud Issa - serving 3 life sentences. Member of the squad that kidnapped and murdered Israeli soldiers, including Nissim Toledano (Dec. 13, 1992).

28. Official PA TV honored the woman who led a suicide terrorist to his bombing that murdered 15 in pizza shop attack
PA TV broadcast a program honoring Ahlam Tamimi, the woman who planned and led the suicide terrorist to the Sbarro pizza restaurant in Jerusalem in August 2001. 15 people were murdered in the attack, 7 of them children. Visiting Tamimi's home, the PA TV crew interviewed her relatives, and the camera focused on an award which read:

29. Official PA TV honored driver of suicide terrorist who murdered 19 on bus
PA TV honored terrorist, Fahami Mashahra, who drove a suicide bomber to Jerusalem in 2001 in which 19 were murdered. The PA TV host said to his daughter:
32. PA TV repeatedly glorified terrorist who killed 3 teens, and another who planned a suicide bombing
A PA TV video tribute to "Martyrs" that was broadcast on PA TV several times a day for four days honored a terrorist who killed three Israelis and one who recruited female suicide terrorists and planned a double suicide attack in Tel Aviv. A photo collage in the same video tribute was labeled "Heroes of the special operations in northern Palestine" which referred to terror attacks in northern Israel. [PA TV, several times daily Feb. 21-24, 2011, reported in PMW bulletin, March 13, 2011, http://bit.ly/mWDIg4]



33. The Palestinian Authority pays over £3,000,000 a month directly to terrorists as salaries. In addition to the examples cited here, Palestinian Media Watch has documented many other examples of the PA's honoring terrorists and presenting them as heroes and role models. Still in 2011, this glorification of terrorists is a mainstay of PA policy under Chairman Mahmoud Abbas and PM Salam Fayyad, who as shown above are actively involved.

34. In 2010, according to PA news reports, Britain gave £90 million to the PA general budget. [Al-Ayyam, February 11, 2010, Al-Hayat Al- Jadida, October 28, 2010]

35. In coming years, Britain is planning to continue supporting the PA.
UK Dept. of International Development: "We will spend an average of £86 million per year in the Occupied Palestinian Territories until 2015." http://www.dfid.gov.uk/OPT

36. When Britain allocates funding to the PA general budget, it is participating in paying the salaries of terrorists in prison and funding the glorification of terrorists.

37. In a July 2011 agreement with the UK, the PA committed to non-violence

DFID (Department for International Development) 07 July 2011, press release:
"The International Development Minister set out the plans for the next four years during a visit to the OPTs, where he signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Prime Minister Fayyad of the Palestinian National Authority (PA)...
The Memorandum of Understanding highlights the PAs commitment to non-violence and a negotiated two-state solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, as well as their pledge to respect human rights and international obligations and deliver clean and accountable governance in the OPTs. It also links part of the funding to the PA to improvements in delivering value for money." http://www.dfid.gov.uk/OPT



In order to assure that British funding does not go to terrorists or their glorification, there are clearly defined and quantifiable steps that the Palestinian Authority should implement:

1. The PA should repeal the law "PA Government resolutions, numbers 21 and 23 of 2010" which grants all terrorists in Israeli prisons a PA monthly salary
2. The PA should stop paying salaries to terrorists in Israeli prisons (as they have admitted to doing even before the law)
3. The PA should stop honoring and role modeling terrorists through naming of places and events in their honor
4. The PA should stop having PA dignitaries and ministers visit terrorists' homes and stop granting their families awards in their names

All of these steps can be implemented immediately and are easily monitored.



The following is the article in the official PA daily quoting the new Palestinian Authority law:
1. Government resolution #19 of 2010...:
A released prisoner will be exempt from tuition fees at government schools and universities if he served a period of five years or more in prison. A released female prisoner who served at least three years in prison will be exempt from tuition fees at government schools and universities. These prisoners are entitled to transfer the exemption to one of their children, or to their spouse...
The Palestinian Authority is committed to providing the opportunity for academic study for prisoners in Israeli prisons, by covering all study expenses for all stages of university study available to prisoners.
A prisoner's children will be exempt from 80% of academic tuition fees if the prisoner was sentenced to at least 20 years and has been in prison for at least 5 years. Children of a female prisoner will be exempt from 80% of university tuition fees if the prisoner was sentenced to at least 10 years, and has served as least 3 years.
Every released prisoner will be exempt from governmental health insurance if he served at least 5 years in prison, and for female prisoners - at least 3 years. ...

2. Government resolution #21 of 2010, concerning the amendment to provide for the needs of prisoners within Israeli prisons:
a. Every prisoner will be paid a uniform sum linked to the cost of living index, as a monthly expenditure ...
b. Every prisoner will be paid a uniform sum of 400 [Israeli] Shekels for clothing. The sum will be paid twice a year, and will be added to the prisoner's salary...

3. Government resolution # 22 of 2010, concerning the amendment to provide for the prisoners' legal needs...

4. Government resolution # 23 of 2010 concerning the amendment on payment of a monthly salary to the prisoner:
Every prisoner will be granted a monthly salary, to be paid to him or to his family, on condition that he does not receive a salary from a [different] governmental or semi-governmental body or official institution... The salary will be paid to the prisoner from the date of his arrest, and a special supplement will be paid to prisoners from Jerusalem and from the Interior [i.e., Israeli Arabs]; a spousal supplement will be paid, and a special supplement for children up to the age of 18...
The minimum salary for a prisoner, to be paid to him from the beginning of his detention and for up to 3 years, is 1400 Shekels. Prisoners who have been imprisoned between 3 and 5 years will receive 2,000 Shekels. Those imprisoned between 5 and 10 years will receive 4,000 Shekels. Those imprisoned between 10 and 15 years will receive 6,000 Shekels. Those imprisoned between 15 and 20 years will receive 7,000 Shekels. Those imprisoned between 20 and 25 years will receive 8,000 Shekels. Those imprisoned between 25 and 30 years will receive 10,000 Shekels. Those who have been imprisoned 30 years or more will receive 12,000 Shekels.
A supplement of 300 Shekels will be added to the salary of every married prisoner, as well as a supplement for children up to the age of 18 in the amount of 50 Shekels for every boy or girl, in addition to a supplement for prisoners from Jerusalem in the amount of 300 Shekels, and a supplement for prisoners from the Interior [i.e., Israeli Arabs] in the amount of 500 Shekels ...
These regulations will be implemented from Jan. 1, 2011, on the basis of available sources of funding."


"An official document, a copy of which reached Life and the Market (supplement to the official PA daily), reveals that the cost of salaries [in the PA budget] is much higher than people think. According to the document, the sum of monthly salaries for May 2011 totaled 727,287,824 Shekel (£123,393,581), paid from the treasury of the [Palestinian] National Authority...

The document shows that the largest portion of the salaries' expense - more than 40% - was paid to civil servants. A total of 293,435,045 Shekel was paid to 101,802 civil servants, about three quarters of them in the West Bank. The average salary for a civil servant in the Palestinian Authority is 2882 Shekel...

The military personnel of the Palestinian Authority occupy second place - 24% - in the cost of salaries, with a total of 172,873,226 Shekel. Surprisingly, the Gaza Strip represents more than 55% of the total cost of salaries of military personnel. The average salary for members of the PA military personnel is 2704 Shekel ...

The PA transfers about 7% of the cost of salaries overseas, in the form of salaries to personnel at consulates and the Palestine National Fund, foreign fronts, and PLO forces and institutions, in the amount of 51,872,446 Shekel.
As for the prisoners (i.e., in Israeli prisons), they receive approximately 2.5% of the cost of salaries [for May], in the form of salaries and [additional] payments, totaling 17,678,247 Shekel (£3,000,000).
Taking care of families of Shahids (Martyrs), inside and outside [the PA], totals about 3.5% of the total cost of salaries [for May], in the amount of 26,458,137 Shekel. The West Bank received the majority of the payments and salaries to prisoners, while the Gaza Strip receives a greater portion of the budget for assistance to Shahids' families. The average prisoner salary is 3129 Shekel... Salaries for members of the inactive Parliament (Legislative Council) [which has not been meeting since the Fatah-Hamas conflict] totaled approximately 0.5% of the cost of salaries - 3,272,316 Shekel."

Click here to view pdf