5,000 urge UK to pressure PA to stop ‘paying salaries to convicted terrorists’
Pro-Israel group urge Government to call on Palestinian Authority to end alleged 'practice of paying salaries to convicted terrorists'
Over 5,000 people have signed a petition calling on the Government to pressure the Palestinian Authority (PA) to end its alleged “practice of paying salaries to convicted terrorists.”
The petition, addressed to International Development Secretary Alok Sharma, written by pro-Israel campaign group We Believe in Israel, urges the UK “to use its leverage as one of the major donors to the PA” to condemn this “reprehensible practice.”
“Whilst the UK does not directly fund the salaries of terrorist prisoners, it is morally unacceptable that British taxpayers’ money is being used to fund essential services and public sector salaries in the PA at the same time that the PA is wasting its own resources on rewarding terrorists,” the petition claims.
In a speech given last year to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the PA pays “$350 million a year to terrorists and their families.”
The Department for International Development provided £59m in aid to occupied territories in 2018. Israel is not eligible to receive overseas aid budget.
A spokesperson for the department said: “No UK aid is used for payments to Palestinian prisoners or their families.
“We have raised the need for reform of these payments at the highest levels of the Palestinian Authority, including when the Minister for the Middle East visited the Occupied Palestinian Territories this year.
“UK aid only goes to named public servants, including teachers and health workers, in the West Bank who have been carefully vetted. We have a rigorous process in place to ensure these payments only go to the intended recipient.”
PM Boris Johnson told Jewish News in June “I think it’s ludicrous that there should be any kind of financial incentive or compensation for terrorist activities.”
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.
