Abbas enacts ploy to deceive donor countries

9/8/2014

Abbas' Presidential decree changes

PA Ministry of Prisoners' Affairs

to PLO Authority of Prisoners' Affairs

Now the PA won't be using US and EU money directly
to pay salaries to terrorist prisoners,
but will use US and EU money indirectly to pay terrorist prisoners, by channeling it through the PLO
  

Minister Karake:

"[Due to PA's payment of salaries to prisoners]

there was [international]  pressure

and a kind of war, an intense war,

and monetary and financial threats towards the PA"

[Ajyal radio (independent Palestinian station), Aug. 30, 2014]

PA Government Spokesman:

"[The change] will provide

political and legal cover for this issue.

It eliminates the many arguments

made by many parties, who always try to say

that [foreign] aid money [to the PA]

is going to the prisoners" 

[Official PA TV, June 5, 2014]

by Itamar Marcus and Nan Jacques Zilberdik

Click to view
 

The Palestinian Authority's policy of paying salaries to imprisoned terrorists - on which it spent more than 100 million dollars last year - has led to extreme international pressure from donor countries to stop rewarding terrorists.Palestinian Media Watch first exposed this PA practice in 2011 and has since repeatedly documented for the international community the extent of these payments.

US Congress, as well as the Parliaments of Holland, Norway, Britain and others have all demanded the PA cease paying terrorist salaries. (See donor countries' statements and legislation below).

But the PA has come up with a scheme to evade the pressure, criticism and demands of their donors. It will not stop funding terrorist prisoners as the EU and the US have demanded, but it will change the name of the institution that oversees these payments:
 

By presidential decree, Abbas has changed the Ministry of Prisoners' Affairs, subordinate to the PA government, into the Supreme National Authority of Prisoners' Affairs, subordinate to the PLO. Instead of paying terrorist salaries directly out of the PA general budget, to which international donors send their funding, the PA will now channel the money through the new PLO institution, which will be responsible for prisoners' affairs. Since the PLO does not receive EU and US funding, the PA seems to expect that international donors will no longer criticize its payments to terrorists.

However, nothing really has changed except the name of the institution, and PA Chairman Abbas has announced that he will remain in control of the payments as before. The official PA daily reported that the new Authority "will be subordinate to the PLO and supervised by it and by the Palestinian presidency." [Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, Sept. 3, 2014] Abbas has even appointed the same minister who formerly oversaw the payment of prisoners' salaries under the PA Ministry of Prisoners' Affairs to serve in the same capacity, only now as head of the new PLO Authority. Abbas has again given Issa Karake, his former Minister of Prisoners' Affairs, "the rank of minister" in his new position as head of the Authority of Prisoners' Affairs.[PNN Palestine News Network (independent Palestinian news agency), Aug. 29, 2014]

This week, newly-appointed Minister Karake affirmed that nothing will change under the new Authority, and the same "services," i.e., payments and other benefits to the prisoners, will continue:

"The Palestinian leadership, President Mahmoud Abbas and the members of the [PLO's] Executive Committee confirmed that this change would in no way affect the importance and significance of the prisoners' issue, neither in terms of politics and the struggle nor in terms of the services [provided to the prisoners]." 

[Ajyal radio (independent Palestinian radio station), Aug. 30, 2014]
 

As early as June this year, PMW reported on this PA ploy, which was confirmed by PA government spokesman Ehab Bessaiso. He openly explained that the change from "Ministry" to "Authority" was to "provide political and legal cover" and "eliminate arguments... that [foreign] aid money [to the PA] is going to the prisoners." [Official PA TV, June 5, 2014]
 

The PA seeks to deceive its international donors by hiding the monthly payment of 27 million shekels, roughly $100 million annually to terrorists - a sum, which the PA has announced will be raised to nearly $150 million($46 million additional) this year - under the heading of the PLO. As the money will be paid through the PLO, instead of directly out of the PA general budget, the PA is pretending to accommodate demands to stop PA payments to terrorists.
 

Time will tell if the US and the EU, knowing that Abbas has arranged to continue giving $150 million a year to terrorists, will allow themselves to be deceived and continue funding the PA's terrorist reward program.
 

PMW documentation of the PA's salary rewards to terrorists has led to legislative action in many countries.
 

In June 2014, 148 of 150 members of Dutch Parliament voted to adopt a motion that the Dutch government and the EU must demand that the PA stop these salaries, which "result in a negative incentive as crime and terrorism are rewarded" [The Dutch House of Representatives, Motie 23432-376, July 3, 2014].
 

The US Congress is considering a number of legislative proposals to either completely cut funding to the PA or deduct the same amount the PA gives to terrorists from President Obama's funding request for the PA.

Norway and Britain have also debated this issue in parliament and each has asked the PA for explanations. Other countries, including Denmark, have debated this PA practice as well.

Since 2011, PMW has released a number of reports on PA terrorist salaries. Last year, one report documented that the PA was lying to European donor countries in order to ensure the continuance of European funding of the terrorist salaries.
 

Click to view more PA statements and news reports regarding the PA's payment of salaries to terrorists.
 

The following are longer excerpts of the reports on the new PLO Supreme National Authority of Prisoners' Affairs, established by Abbas' Presidential decree: (at source)

source