Skulls on the map: Israel’s top diplomat exposes incitement in Palestinian schools

The Palestinian Authority allocates more than $350 million annually to pay salaries to terrorists in Israeli prisons and to the families of killed terrorists.

By Pesach Benson, TPS

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar in Jerusalem presented his Danish counterpart Lars Rasmussen with a map used in a Palestinian Authority elementary school marking Israeli communities with skulls on Sunday. The map highlights what he described as Ramallah’s institutionalized incitement.

Sa’ar said the map — from a Hebron school — illustrated the depth of incitement that continues to hinder prospects for peace.

Sa’ar urged the European Union to “adopt a balanced and fair approach” to the Israeli–Palestinian conflict and said Europe must begin speaking out more forcefully about the PA’s payments to convicted terrorists and stipends to their families, known as pay for slay.

The Palestinian Authority allocates more than $350 million annually to pay salaries to terrorists in Israeli prisons and to the families of killed terrorists.

Payouts range from $400 to $3,400 per month, depending on time served.

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

Turning to Gaza, Saar stressed that Hamas must be disarmed and the coastal enclave fully demilitarized as part of any future arrangement.

He added that Turkey cannot play a role in such an effort, saying Ankara “is an ally of Hamas and is not really interested in dismantling it or replacing it.”

Sa’ar and Rasmussen’s conversations focused on bilateral ties and other regional developments.