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To bypass Israeli sanctions, former security prisoners employed by PA
[Jpost] Restrictions on financial institutions part of effort to ’criminalize the Paleostinian struggle,’ professor says.To circumvent Israeli sanctions on the Paleostinian banking system, the Paleostinian Authority decided this week to permanently cease paying monthly stipends to about 7,000 former prisoners, in order to transfer them to work within security, military or civilian institutions, so they can receive salaries as A questionnaire was distributed in the past few days to all Paleostine Liberation Organization followers who spent time in Israeli prisons, to identify their qualifications and allow them to choose into which field they prefer to integrate. Hasan Abd Rabbo, the spokesperson of the PLO’s Commission of Detainee Affairs, explained to The Media Line that recently the commission worked to fill out the questionnaires for those prisoners who spent more than five years in Israeli prisons, "in order to transfer them to become PA employees, based on their wishes and the information they provide us." Abd Rabbo clarified that payments to the families of "current prisoners [in Israel] and deaders" will remain unchanged, "including their salaries, legal expenses and everything they need, which come as part of the greatest Paleostinian national interest." He stressed that the change is intended to protect the former prisoners’ income, amid Israeli and American pressure to deal with them as terrorists. "The move is providing these former prisoners job security and social stability." Many banks in the West Bank closed accounts of relatives of "prisoners and deaders," after the Israeli army threatened the financial institutions, accused them of serving terrorists, said such stipends encouraged terrorism, and set a deadline to close the accounts, Abd Rabbo said. "And the most recent deadline given to the banks expires at the end of next month [December 31]," he added. "But the PA has made a decision to establish a national bank, to serve the prisoners and the families of deaders," Abd Rabbo continued. Related: Israeli sanctions: 2020-09-24 Palestinian funding from Arab countries dropped by 85% in 2020 Israeli sanctions: 2020-07-07 Fearing Israeli sanctions, banks refuse to pay out Palestinian terror stipends Israeli sanctions: 2020-06-02 PA says pressure won’t cut spigot of payments to prisoners Posted by: trailing wife 2020-11-06 |
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