Algemeiner on PMW report to British Parliament: PA gave $100 million to convicted terrorists in 2013

A new report prepared and submitted by watchdog Palestinian Media Watch (PMW) to Britain’s Parliament reveals that the Palestinian Authority dolled out over $100 million to convicted terrorists in 2013, Israeli daily Ma’ariv reported. The beneficiaries include current and former criminal detainees held in Israeli prisons.

The report includes rare testimony from a convicted terrorist named ‘Hosni’ who describes in detail the financial windfall that comes with spending time in an Israeli prison.

Hosni was questioned by Israeli police in the summer of 2013 on suspicion of planning terrorist attacks as well as actively recruiting new terrorists and he explained to his interrogators the economic incentive behind his actions.

He told Israeli security officials that, “Because of my difficult financial situation, I decided to concoct an imaginary plan for the benefit of the Shabak that would get me arrested, convicted and incarcerated for at least five years… so I could then get a steady salary from the PA that would enable me to cover the debts of my upcoming wedding.”

According to Hosni’s testimony, a prison sentence of longer than five years guarantees, “…a monthly salary of about four thousand shekels for a period of three years, which means a total of one hundred and thirty five thousand shekels.”

The testimony provided first hand evidence of the well known program taking place at the behest of the PA. Each freed murderer receives a monthly stipend that is based on the severity of the offense that landed him in an Israeli prison. The more heinous the crime, the higher the compensation that’s provided by the PA. It is estimated that five percent of the PA’s total operating budget is dedicated to terrorists’ salaries.

The data collected by PMW was recently passed along to a special investigative committee of the British Parliament that is currently looking into allegations that European aid money to the PA is being diverted and allocated to the terrorist’s salaries.

PMW CEO Itamar Marcus summed up the findings of his organization saying, “The salaries that the Palestinian Authority is paying out not only reward terrorism, but actively encourage it.”