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August 9 marks the 20th anniversary of the suicide bombing in downtown Jerusalem which killed 15 and injured 130.
By Maurice Hirsch, Palestinian Media Watch
Tomorrow, August 9, 2021, will mark 20 years since the attack on the Sbarro pizza restaurant in downtown Jerusalem.
Fifteen people were murdered, including 5 members of one family. Among the dead were seven children and a pregnant woman. Another 130 were injured.
As a reward for carrying out the attack, each month the Palestinian Authority pays a total of $8,006 (25,800 shekels) to the imprisoned terrorists and the families of the dead terrorists, who were involved in the attack.
By now, the PA has paid Abdullah Barghouti, the terrorist who built the bomb and is responsible for the murder of 67 people in various attacks, a cumulative sum of $285,571 (921,500 shekels). Every month, the PA pays him a salary of $2,255 (7,300 shekels).
In addition, the PA has paid the family of the suicide bomber, Izz al-Din Shuheil al-Masri $68,498 (221,400 shekels). Every month the PA continues to pay his family an allowance of $432 (1,400 shekels). The minimum wage in the PA is 1,450 shekels/month ($44).
The monthly PA salary payments to the imprisoned terrorists are not just a whim. Rather, they are codified in the PA Law of Prisoners and Released Prisoners, No. 19 of 2004 and regulations promulgated pursuant to the law.
Thus, “Government Decision No. (23) for 2010 regarding a regulation of payment of a monthly salary to the prisoner” sets the salary scale the PA pays to imprisoned terrorists, including additional benefits for married terrorists, terrorists who have children, and terrorists who are residents or citizens of the State of Israel.
In addition to the issue of payments, section 4 of the Law of Prisoners stipulates that the PA will not sign a peace agreement “without the release of all prisoners”, including terrorists like Abdullah Barghouti and hundreds of other terrorists like him, who are responsible for killing thousands of people.
The PA payments to the families of the dead terrorists (so-called “Martyrs”) is not regulated by law. Rather, these payments are made based on internal regulations of the PLO Institute for the Care of the Families of the Martyrs and the Wounded, which is entirely funded by the PA.
As a result, one month of Palestinian terror stipends could buy 465 ventilators and more than 387,000 corona tests.
Ahlam Tamimi, a Jordanian national who escorted the bomber to the restaurant, was sentenced to 16 life sentences. But in 2011, she was freed as part of the Gilad Shalit prisoner swap. Tamimi received a hero’s welcome on her return to Jordan.
Because two of the dead were U.S. citizens, victims’ rights advocates have been pushing for Jordan to extradite Tamimi to the U.S. Those efforts were to no avail and last March, Interpol dropped its warrant for Tamimi’s arrest.
United With Israel staff contributed to this report.
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