The Palestinian Authority has made payments totaling close to $300,000 to terrorists involved in the planning and execution of a horrific terrorist attack and their families.
By: Batya Jerenberg, World Israel News
The Palestinian Authority (PA) has already paid almost $300,000 to those involved in the Sbarro attack in Jerusalem 17 years ago, reported Palestine Media Watch (PMW) in a statement marking the August 9 anniversary of the mass murder.
The family of Izz al-Din Al-Masri, who strapped on the shrapnel-filled vest and blew himself up in the crowded pizzeria, has so far gotten $50,124 after he killed 15 people, including seven children, and injured 130 others.
The bomber’s driver and attack planner, Ahlam Tamimi, was rewarded with monthly payments totaling $52,681 for the 10 years she sat in Israeli prison after conviction. She was released in 2011 as part of the deal to free Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, even though she had received 16 life sentences for the attack. She currently lives in Jordan, works as a TV presenter, and has remained unrepentant over her role.
In March 2017, the US Department of Justice requested her extradition after putting her on its Most Wanted Terrorists list, but Jordan refused to send her to be re-tried in an American court. Of those killed in Sbarro, one was a pregnant American, Shoshana Judy Greenbaum. The most severely injured person was also American, Chana Nachenberg, who remains in a vegetative state to this day.
The bomb-maker, Abdallah Barghouti, has “earned” the most by far – at least $191,526, says PMW, which monitors and analyzes the PA through its media and schoolbooks.
Barghouti received 67 life sentences for all of the explosive devices he built that ultimately killed 67 people and is still imprisoned.
PA law mandates that those who are imprisoned for injuring or murdering Israelis get a monthly allowance determined by a sliding scale that increases payments based on the amount of death and mayhem the terrorist causes.
The law also provides payments to families of “martyrs” who died while killing or trying to kill Israelis.
In July, the Knesset passed the “pay for slay” law, which mandates that the amount of money the PA pays terrorists and their families be deducted from tax revenues that Israel transfers to the Authority each month in an attempt to disincentivize terrorism.
The Israeli law was passed on the heels of the US’ Taylor Force Act, which the US Congress passed in March to cut American aid to the PA until it stops paying terrorists and their families.
The law was named for Taylor Force, an American tourist and army veteran who was stabbed and murdered by a Palestinian terrorist in the port of Jaffa in 2016. The attacker was shot dead by police.