Tory MPs claim PA is handing UK aid to ‘convicted Palestinian terrorists’
Tory MPs are asking the British government to look again at the funding it gives to the Palestinian Authority, after Israel-based activists said the money was still going to convicted terrorists.
Guto Bebb, James Morris and Andrew Percy, all of whom have visited the Jewish state with Conservative Friends of Israel (CFI) in recent years, heard lobbyists accuse the Palestinian leadership of “deceiving” the UK.
In the last five years, the Department for International Development (DfID) has given the Palestinian territories around £130million in aid, some of which has been given to those convicted of crimes against Israelis.
The MPs’ intervention followed a visit from Itamar Marcus of Palestinian Media Watch, who said that over 5,000 Palestinian terrorists could be drawing salaries and bonuses.
In a joint statement Bebb, Morris and Percy said: “British taxpayers will be appalled to discover that the PA is handing their hard-earned money to convicted Palestinian terrorists.
“The PA should be strongly condemned for deceiving well-intentioned donor countries into thinking that it had ended this shocking practice.
“The British government must seriously reconsider its provision of aid to the PA’s general budget until it ceases this abhorrent practice of financially rewarding and incentivising terrorism.”
In recent years both the West Bank and Gaza suffer from high unemployment, elevated poverty rates and a sharp contraction of the private sector that had relied primarily on export markets.
Egyptian authorities began a crackdown on Gaza’s extensive tunnel-based smuggling network in 2013, creating fuel, construction material, and consumer goods shortages in the coastal strip.
In addition, Israel’s military operation in Gaza last year destroyed 20 percent of the territory’s industrial infrastructure, displaced more than 100,000 people and left almost a third of households without access to water.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
