PA rejects EU demand not to fund terrorists with EU money, yet EU continues transferring money to PA

http://palwatch.org/main.aspx?fi=157&doc_id=10444

November 2013

PA Minister mocks EU for criticizing PA use of funding for terrorists' salaries:

"The Europeans want their money that comes to us to remain clean - not to go to families of those they claim to be terrorists... These [prisoners] are heroes"

December 2013: 

EU ignores its own principles, continues transferring funds to the PA and facilitating salaries to terrorists 

"The EU donated approximately 11 million euros to pay the November salaries... [of PA] government employees"

Head of Prisoners' Club: Government workers and prisoners' salaries are paid together

"What is disbursed to the prisoners is exactly what is disbursed to me and you [a PA civil servant]. These are salaries. Therefore, when the salaries are paid to those working in [government] ministries and institutions, they will also be paid to the prisoners."

by Itamar Marcus and Nan Jacques Zilberdik

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In 2011, Palestinian Media Watch exposed that the Palestinian Authority was using Western donor money to pay salaries to terrorists. Following PMW's exposure of these payments to terrorists, many European countries condemned the practice.

Recently, PA Minister of Prisoners' Affairs Issa Karake made a public statement rejecting the European demand that EU funds not go to terrorists. Indeed, Karake mocked the EU for challenging the PA's funding of terror saying, "the Europeans want their money... to remain clean." He said that by viewing Palestinian prisoners as terrorists, Europe has adopted an "occupation mentality." According to the PA, the prisoners "are heroes":

"The Europeans want their money that comes to us to remain clean - not to go to families of those they claim to be 'terrorists.' [They] need to renounce this occupation (Israeli) mentality. These [prisoners] are heroes, fedayyeen (self-sacrificing fighters), and fighters who fought so that we could live in dignity... These heroes, whom you (i.e., the audience) are applauding, must live in dignity, so that we will continue to hold our heads high. We appreciate the people of the revolution and are proud of them."

[Official PA TV Live, Nov. 4, 2013]

Click to view

This rejection by the PA has significance beyond the financial issue, as it shows the ideological divide between Western donors and the PA. While the Western world views the killing of civilians as murder and terror, the PA sees Palestinians' killing of civilians as heroic and deserving of financial reward. As the PA minister said: "These [prisoners] are heroes... We appreciate the people of the revolution and are proud of them."

On numerous occasions, the PA has stressed that PA salaries to terrorist prisoners and released prisoners are like all other government and civil servant salaries. One example was when Chairman of the Prisoners' Club Qadura Fares confirmed in a PA TV interview that prisoners receive salaries along with government employees:

PA TV host: "How were the prisoners' salaries and allowances affected by the economic crisis in Palestine?"

Chairman of the Prisoners' Club, Qadura Fares: "All in all, we are in the same situation as others. What is disbursed to the prisoners is exactly what is disbursed to me and you [i.e., government employees]. These are salaries. Therefore, when the salaries are paid to those working in [government] ministries and institutions, they will also be paid to the prisoners."

[Official PA TV, Jan. 17, 2013]

Click to view

So when the EU transferred 11 million euros to the PA this month to pay the salaries of PA government employees, it directly or indirectly facilitated the payments of millions of euros in salaries to Palestinian terrorist prisoners and released prisoners.

"Yesterday [Dec. 15, 2013] the European Union donated approximately 11 million euros to pay the November salaries and pensions of approximately 71,000 Palestinian government employees and pensioners in the [West] Bank and the Gaza Strip."

[WAFA, official PA news agency, and Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, Dec. 6, 2013]

From the EU press release:

"For many years, the EU has been the biggest donor and most reliable partner to the Palestinian Authority. Today's contribution to salaries and pensions is further evidence of our unimpeded support for the Palestinian people which will continue in 2014."

[http://eeas.europa.eu/delegations/westbank/documents/news/2013/20131205_november_salaries_en.pdf]