Israel seeks to cut off funds for families of prisoners
Israel has long claimed that the money the Palestinian Authority pays to the families of Palestinian "martyrs" killed or imprisoned in Israel amounts to incentives to commit murder, and now the Knesset is considering a bill to prevent such payments.
RAMALLAH, West Bank — Palestinians have been preoccupied with news that the Israeli Knesset is considering legislation designed to keep the Palestinian Authority (PA) from paying allowances to prisoners, "martyrs" and their families.
Legislators discussed the proposal Jan. 9. If passed, the law would pose an economic threat to the families of more than 6,500 prisoners in Israeli jails and a similar number of Palestinians who have died or have been disabled while fighting Israel. These families obtain stipends from the Palestinian Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs.
Israel’s Akka reported the commission paid 550 million Israeli shekels ($161 million) to the families of prisoners and released detainees in 2017, and the families of the dead and wounded received 687 million shekels ($202 million). Israel claims the total of $350 million is equal to nearly 7% of the PA’s annual budget.
Official Palestinian sources, namely the commission and the Palestinian Authority Martyrs Fund, have not disclosed the amounts.
