The PA accuses PMW of incitement, for exposing its "Pay-for-Slay"!
- PMW's exposing that the PA is paying 9,750 terrorists at least 59,560,000 shekels a month is “incitement” according to the PA
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Palestinian Media Watch’s findings have significantly damaged the PA’s image internationally and have led many countries to reduce or completely cut funding to the PA. Naturally, the PA tries to minimize the damage from PMW’s documentation and attacks it as “incitement”!
Last month, PMW's report that the PA now recognizes 9,750 terrorists as prisoners in Israel eligible for salaries and that the PA will be paying them a minimum of 59,560,000 shekels (about $16.4 million) a month, was featured in the Israeli paper Makor Rishon.
The PA chose to attack PMW’s findings by declaring the report guilty of “incitement”:
“The Palestinian [official PA] news agency WAFA monitored the incitement and racism in the Israeli media outlets…
An article of incitement against the PA [citing PMW's report] was published [in Makor Rishon], under the headline: ‘“The new Martyrs”: Hundreds of terrorists from Gaza are eligible to the PA’s terror payments.’ ‘The PA, which pays salaries to terrorists who were imprisoned or killed by Israel and also their families, recognized approximately 900 “new prisoners and Martyrs” during the war in Gaza – and its terror payments are expected to rise dramatically.’
The paper said (quoting PMW): ‘889 (sic., 899) terrorists who were caught by the Israeli army in the Gaza Strip were recognized by the PA as prisoners, and today 9,750 “terrorists” are recognized by the PA as prisoners from the areas under PA control. This recognition is significant, because it means that the PA views them as eligible to the monthly salaries that it pays terrorists.’
It also said: ‘The PA pays terrorists a salary of 1,400 shekels (about $400 -Ed.) per month in the first 3 years in prison, and the salary rises gradually to 12,000 shekels (about $3,250) after 30 years. It also pays an addition of 300 shekels (just over $80) per month for each wife, 50 shekels (about $15) per month for each child, 300 shekels per month for Jerusalem residents, 500 shekels (about $150) per month for Israeli Arabs.’
The paper added: ‘Even if the PA fails to send payments to the terrorists’ families in Gaza immediately, the sum will be recorded as a debt. In February [2024] it was reported that the PA was so enthusiastic to start paying the terrorists who were just arrested, to the point that it announced that it is bypassing their regulations and demands of registration in order to be able to pay them immediately.’” (All quotes above are from PMW’s report -Ed.)
[WAFA, official PA news agency, Aug. 6, 2024]
The PA regularly attacks PMW’s reports on PA activities, education and leaders’ statements as incitement. The PA has recognized that PMW’s exposure of the PA hate and terror promotion that it is trying to hide is causing them great damage internationally.
For over a decade thanks to Palestinian Media Watch’s research the world knows that the Palestinian Authority rewards its terrorists with generous salaries and grants – the PA’s Pay-for-Slay-program.
Numerous times PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas and other PA leaders have stressed that “even if the PA has only one penny left”, they will pay it to the imprisoned terrorists, as was recently emphasized by a PA district governor.
Still when PMW updates with more information about its terror rewards the PA calls it “incitement".