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“Wealth for Bloodshed”: Palestinian Authority May Have to Compensate Families of Hamas Terrorists, Report Says

The Palestinian Authority could soon face the financial burden of having to pay compensation to the families of terrorists belonging to the group Hamas, according to a recent report by the Tel Aviv-based Israeli Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center (ITIC). The report stated that the Palestinian Authority (PA) pays monetary compensation to the “martyrs” of the Palestinian people, including terrorists, who had committed terror attacks against Israel. The report noted that the PA had adopted a policy of paying such “martyrs” as part of their economic aid program for the families. According to the report, the Palestinian Authority stopped paying such compensation in 2014, but had resumed its payment of such funds in 2018. The report further stated that the Hamas terrorist organization had taken on the responsibility of distributing the PA funds to the families of the deceased terrorists. Additionally, it was revealed that the Palestinian Authority had recently approved a budget of NIS 20 million ($5.4 million) to be paid to the families of the Hamas terrorists, based on their “martyrdom” status. This marks a significant increase from the NIS 4 million that was initially allocated for such payments in 2017. The report further noted that many of the Palestinian Authority’s own security forces had joined Hamas in carrying out terror attacks against Israel. It seemed that, in an effort to appease the public outrage, the PA had started providing financial assistance to the families of the perpetrators of these attacks. This recent report has raised many eyebrows in Israel and added to the growing tension between the two entities. The Palestinian Authority’s policy of paying compensation to the families of Hamas terrorists has been heavily criticized by the Israeli government, which considers it a form of support for terrorism. The Israeli government believes that paying compensation to the families of terrorists only serves to encourage more attacks and creates a state of lawlessness in the region. It has therefore called upon the Palestinian Authority to cease its policy of providing monetary assistance to the families of terrorists. The issue of financial compensation for the families of Hamas terrorists is an extremely contentious one and has sparked heated debates on both sides of the conflict. The Palestinian Authority’s policy of paying compensation to these families seems to suggest that it is in favor of encouraging more terror attacks against Israel, rather than attempting to work towards peace.