Finance Minister Betzalel Smotrich on Sunday signed an order to transfer NIS 138.8 million of Palestinian Authority funds to Israeli victims of terrorism, mainly the families of two IDF soldiers lynched in Ramallah 22 years ago.
The move is in accordance with the 2019 Litvak court verdict that the PA should pay about NIS 139 million to the families of terror victims in cases where it was determined that the PA has direct responsibility for terrorism.
The step, which was approved at the new government’s security cabinet meeting on Thursday evening, is one of a number of sanctions the new government is implementing against the PA for submitting a resolution to the UN General Assembly calling for the ICC in the Hague to take legal action against Israel for “its occupation of Jerusalem and Yehudah and Shomron.”
“We promised to rectify and today we’re correcting an injustice,” Smotrich said. “This is an important day for morality, for the war on terror and justice. There’s no greater justice than offsetting the Authority’s funds that worked to support terrorism and transferring them to the families of the victims of terrorism. The Israeli government is changing its policy and today we are starting to rectify it. There’s no comfort here for the families of the murdered victims but there is justice here. I’m happy that I had the privilege of leading this rectification process as one of my first actions as Finance Minister.”
Ron Alon, son of Noa Alon, hy’d, who was murdered in a terror attack in the French Hill of Jerusalem, said: “This day is a historic day. If there is one thing I disagree with the minister about, it is that there is comfort here. Compensation won’t bring back our loved ones but it will give us a feeling that justice is being carried out. And the other side is the deterrence that is being created right now – when the PA is hit in the pocket, its significance is immediate.”
Attorney Avi Segal of the Shurat Hadin organization said: “Many thanks to Minister Smotrich and the Israeli government for deciding to transfer the funds to the families of terror victims in cases where it is determined that the Authority has direct responsibility for terrorism. There are empirical studies that prove that what prevents terrorism is putting your hand in their pockets and that’s what we did here.”
(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
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7 Responses
It hurts to much to look at that picture!!!!!!!!!!
bless him
Finally, someone with a brain. I happen to like Smotrich a lot
Sounds nice, but it seems to be missing context. Why wasn’t this done until now? Are they legally allowed to freeze Palestinian tax revenue? Are there international ramifications?
The old leftist Government did not care about that.They only looked for them self. Typical Lapid and Friends
Please please please change that picture! It is not necessary to get your point across. You can show any bombed out area or knife in the street without having to show one of the most horrific pictures of Jewish torture and suffering that I have ever seen
Money won’t bring back the soul of murdered Jews.
“Eye for an eye”
Death penalty would prevent future lynching.