PLO official says the US may remove it from the terror list, and that will solve the “political” issue of paying terrorist salaries
Official PA TV program Giants of Endurance, hosting PLO Commission of Prisoners’ Affairs Director-General Abd Al-Qader Al-Khatib
PLO Commission of Prisoners’ Affairs Director-General Abd Al-Qader Al-Khatib: “As is known, we have had a big problem with everything connected to paying the salaries to the prisoners and Martyrs (refers to Israel’s Anti “Pay-for-Slay” Law to deduct PA terror salaries; see note below -Ed.). Therefore, this issue has not had a fundamental solution to this moment, even though we are convinced that this issue is a political priority. Therefore, I think that the moment progress is achieved on the political path, there will be several solutions for this issue. For example, the Americans are currently placing the PLO on the table- on the list of terror organizations. If the PLO’s name will be removed from the terror lists, it is impossible that the PLO soldiers and fighters will remain on the terror lists. This issue is political and these are the ramifications. Therefore, we are convinced that in this case there is nothing but to examine logical and fundamental solutions, because it is impossible that we would relinquish the financial, moral, and national commitment to the prisoners. We have an unshakable national ideology regarding this sacred case, and therefore on the issue of the prisoners I think that we are facing a problem, a big problem. The Israelis are implementing double standards on everything.”
Official PA TV host: “Without a doubt.”
Abd Al-Qader Al-Khatib: “For example, when we talk about the [prison] canteen [allowances] – the canteen is not considered terror money and they let us send in the canteen [allowances].”
Host: “There is something regarding the canteen that I want to ask you about.”
Abd Al-Qader Al-Khatib: “But when we talk about the salaries, [they] claim that this is terror money. In other words, how are you acting with double standards?”
Host: “Brother Abd Al-Qader, [let me ask] directly, will there be salaries in the fourth month [of the year, April 2021], or is the issue not clear yet?”
Abd Al-Qader Al-Khatib: “The issue is not clear, but if there will be no salaries, we intend to seek every way so that through these creative ways we will be able to transfer the salaries to the prisoners and their families.”
Host: “Okay. Another question connected to the suffering of the families, and it has two parts. The first part is on the canteen, and we say that this is suffering for the families and the prisoners – the canteen [allowances] are not reaching the prisoners in many cases… Are there mechanisms of supporting the prisoners regarding the canteen and the mechanism of payment? That is one. The second part of the question has to do with checks. Today, truthfully and objectively, when the sister, mother, or wife of a prisoner is asked to come to Ramallah from all the districts of the homeland to receive a check, and afterwards to deposit the check into an account – in other words, honestly this is a long issue, and it is a great bother for the prisoners’ families, especially for those of them who are outside the Ramallah and El-Bireh district… Is there genuine activity on these two issues that will achieve tangible results to improve these circumstances and make things easier for the prisoners’ families?”
…
Abd Al-Qader Al-Khatib: “First, we are sending the canteen [allowances] on time. We receive the check from the [PA] Ministry of Economics… Then we transfer the check to the Palestinian bank and it transfers it to the Israeli bank, and then they transfer it to the Dadash company that sells the canteen products to the prisoners. These are processes that take time, but everything connected to the part concerning us – we make sure to stick to the timetable… There are many families that are transferring money that they want to send in to their sons, and we at the Commission of Prisoners and Released Prisoners’ Affairs are fulfilling our role in this when we go to a number of places like Beit El with a large number of [released] prisoners, volunteers, and young people both from among the commission’s employees and from among the prisoners’ admirers, and each one according to their identity card sends in 1,200 [Israeli] shekels, and afterwards we transfer it to within the prisons… Regarding the issue of the checks and the salaries and all, as is known there was a decision by His Honor [PA] President [Mahmoud Abbas] to establish Independence Bank, and regarding Independence Bank there is a team that was trained that is working around the clock so that this bank will materialize, but there are a number of procedures that are currently delaying the establishment of this bank, Independence Bank. Therefore, we say now that there is nothing but to find a formula and mechanism for paying the prisoners’ salaries… We hope to reach April with this issue already resolved, and if it will not be resolved, we will certainly seek creative ways, and we do not want to reveal them at the moment.”
[Official PA TV, Giants of Endurance, Feb. 18, 2021]