Israeli court freezes Palestinian Authority funds for terror victim’s family

The Palestinian Authority allocates around $279 million annually to pay salaries to security prisoners in Israeli prisons, which range from $400 to $3,400 per month, depending on the sentence.

By Pesach Benson, TPS

The Jerusalem District Court issued a temporary order on Tuesday freezing NIS 50 million ($13 million) from Palestinian Authority funds in favor of Rabbi Leo Dee, a British-Israeli national whose wife and two daughters were killed in a Hamas terror attack in 2023.

Dee, a resident of Efrat sued the PA and Hamas, accusing them of responsibility for the attack. The court’s decision, the first of its kind, seeks to compensate victims’ families by seizing funds allegedly used for terrorist salaries.

“My hope is we can bankrupt [the Palestinian Authority]. Since the UN is intent on continuing to fund them, we have to act independently to stop their funding and save lives,” Dee told The Press Service of Israel.

“We are not directly at war with the Palestinian Authority, but they have built the greatest terror scheme and incentive for terror in the world.”

Leo’s wife Lucy (Leah), and daughters Maya, 20, and Rina, 15, were murdered in a drive-by shooting in the Jordan Valley. Hamas claimed responsibility for the attack.

The two terrorists, Hassan Katnani and Ma’ad Masri, were killed during an Israeli arrest raid the following month.

Lucy’s organs were transplanted to several recipients, sparking a surge in organ donations.

Itamar Marcus, director of Palestinian Media Watch, told TPS-IL the size of the ruling would be very important if it sets a precedent.

“This can be a deterrent, certainly, for the Palestinian Authority from glorifying terror and rewarding terror for the families of the murderers [who] started receiving NIS 1,400 [$381] a month in Palestinian payments from the day,” Marcus said.

“The fact that they’re going to have to give up [NIS] 50 million, it’s going to hurt them. And it will really hurt them.”

The Palestinian Authority (PA) allocates around $279 million annually to pay salaries to security prisoners in Israeli prisons, which range from $400-$3,400 per month, depending on the sentence.

For comparison, PA welfare benefits to ordinary Palestinians range from $60-$170 per month depending on need. Those who participated in terror attacks killing Israelis — thus receiving the most severe sentences — got the highest payouts.

Israeli officials say the payouts provide incentives for terror and regularly offset an equivalent amount from taxes that Israel collects on behalf of the PA. Israeli law allows families of the victims to collect judgements directly from the frozen funds.

Ramallah has been paying out stipends for years, but the issue came under a spotlight following the 2018 murder of Taylor Force, a U.S. citizen killed by a Palestinian who went on a stabbing rampage in Jaffa.