Israeli officials have long lamented that the policies of the Palestinian Authority have made terrorism the most lucrative profession in the “disputed territories.”
A terrorist that successfully kills Jews, but is then captured and jailed is entitled to a monthly government stipend of around $3,000, which is far higher than the average monthly income in the Palestinian-controlled territories.
At just 19 years of age, Omar al-Abed joined that elite middle class when, on July 21, he infiltrated the Israeli settlement of Halamish and slaughtered a Jewish family preparing for the weekly Shabbat meal.
Those stipends are paid to murderers like al-Abed by the Palestinian Authority, which in turn receives most of its financing from foreign donors like the United States, European Union and Canada.
Writing for the National Post, an indignant Casey Babb insisted that it is “abhorrent to think that any money from North American governments might be rewarding terrorism, yet it’s hard to conclude otherwise.”
The Palestinian Authority receives its funding from various sources, such as the United National Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA). But all of those sources receive their funding directly from Western governments.
Canada halted its funding of UNRWA in 2010 precisely because too much of the money was going toward encouraging terrorism against Israel. But liberal Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau reinstated the funding, to the tune of $25 million a year, shortly after taking office.
Originally posted at Israel Today Magazine.
