Palestinian Authority staff sergeant shot dead after he shoots and wounds 3 Israeli soldiers.

Palestinian Authority staff sergeant shot dead after he shoots and wounds 3 Israeli soldiers. (MaanNews).

A Palestinian was shot dead after shooting and injuring three Israeli soldiers at an Israeli military checkpoint around the illegal Israeli settlement of Beit El in the central occupied West Bank district of Ramallah, witnesses told Ma'an.

Witnesses said a Palestinian vehicle approached the Israeli checkpoint and stopped for inspection. When an Israeli soldier approached the driver's window, the driver opened fire, immediately shooting the soldier.

The driver then shot another two Israeli soldiers, one of which witnesses believed was hit in his flak jacket.

Israeli forces then opened fire, shooting the Palestinian driver dead.

Of the three injured, two are in severe condition, while one was mildly injured, a spokesperson with Israel's emergency medical service, Magen David Adom, said.

The Palestinian driver was latter identified as Amjad Jaser Sukkar, 34, a Palestinian Authority staff sergeant from Nablus. Hours after the shooting, his body was returned to PA forces and is expected to be buried later that day.

The Hamas movement issued a statement on Sunday evening hailing Sukkar's "heroic resistance operation."

“This attack showcases the rejection of security coordination with the occupation, even among members of the PA security forces,” Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri was quoted as saying.
Hmmm.....Obama's 'Peace partners'.

'Your tax Dollars at work' - Palestinian leadership misappropriated over $31BN over the past 21 years.

'Your tax Dollars at work' - Palestinian leadership misappropriated over $31BN over the past 21 years. (TOI).

Documents leaked online detailing two attempts by Palestinian officials to misuse public funds have triggered outrage, highlighting the corruption and mismanagement critics say remains rampant in the Palestinian government.

The furor over the documents comes as the Palestinian economy is stagnating and Palestinians grow increasingly displeased with government services. Palestinian Authority officials have defended their record on stamping out corruption, saying they’ve recovered millions of dollars in misspent funds.

The Palestinian parliament, which has limited oversight powers, has been defunct since Hamas’ 2007 ouster of Abbas’ government in Gaza.

Rafeq Natsheh, who heads the Palestinian anti-corruption commission, said that the body is fighting against graft and has recovered millions of stolen dollars. But for Palestinians, the leaked documents only reinforced perceptions that their government remains tainted.

“We need to see the real picture which is much bigger than the fees of Muhanna’s daughter,” Rami Mehdawi, a columnist for the Palestinian al-Ayam newspaper, wrote on Facebook. “The entire Palestinian system needs to be addressed and reformed to clean up the rampant corruption, mismanagement and nepotism.” Read the full story here.

Former chief of security in Gaza and Palestinian leadership rival Mohammed Dahlan has 2 million euro of land outside Belgrade.

Former chief of security in Gaza and Palestinian leadership rival Mohammed Dahlan has 2 million euro of land outside Belgrade. HT: BalkanInsight.

A Serbian firm owned by the family of controversial Palestinian politician Mohammed Dahlan bought the 50 hectares of land along the Belgrade-Zagreb highway in 2006.

Public documents collected by Balkan Investigative Reporting Network (BIRN) detail how Alfursan, owned by Dahlan’s brother and nephews, secured the 76 plots, worth approximately 2m euros.

The news emerges as Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas travels to Serbia on Tuesday and Wednesday to open a new embassy and meet top officials, including Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic.

Palestinian officials have been privately angered by Serbia’s decision to quietly grant citizenship to Dahlan, who is Abbas’ arch rival and was given a two-year jail term in absentia in May 2014.

The Serbian government’s decision to discreetly honour Dahlan and 11 other Palestinians connected to him in 2013 and 2014 attracted worldwide controversy after BIRN broke the story in February.

Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic argued that the award was motivated by Dahlan’s role in bringing investment from Abu Dhabi to the Balkan country.

But Palestinian officials believe that Dahlan, who rents a luxury villa in Belgrade, should return to his homeland and face the courts.

Dahlan rejects the allegations against him, saying they are part of a political plot to undermine his leadership challenge.

Before Dahlan was acting as a middleman for the Abu Dhabi royal family, and while he was still security chief for the Palestinian Authority, his brother Abdrabou established the real estate company Alfursan in 2006 in Belgrade.

Soon after he split ownership of his firm between himself and his sons, including Shadi Dahlan.

Shadi, who also received Serbian citizenship, runs a business in Montenegro owned by his famous uncle Mohammed called Levant International.

Dahlan also has good relations with Montenegrin Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic, who handed him citizenship in 2010.

Based on sale contracts, the land would have been worth around 2m euros in 2006, a figure which has not change significantly today.

He was cleared of corruption in Palestine in April this year when a judge in Ramallah ruled that his immunity as a public official had not been lifted. He had been accused of embezzling $18 million of public money, allegations he has denied. BIRN understands the Anti-Corruption Commission of Palestine is appealing the decision.

Officials from Palestine’s Anti-Corruption Commission have told BIRN that other investigations into Dahlan are ongoing, including a probe into his investments and money transfers in Serbia and Montenegro.

Akram Al-Khateb, deputy head of the commission, said: “Our job is to look for Dahlan’s money transfers to Egypt, Jordan, the Emirates, Serbia, Montenegro and all over.”

The former chief of security in Gaza became an adviser to the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Mohammad bin Zayed, after he fled Palestine in 2011, when he was kicked out of the ruling Fatah party. He has been sentenced in absentia to a two-year jail term in May 2014 for defamation by a Ramallah court.

Obama's 'Peace partners' - Palestinian Authority TV Presents Anti-Semitic ‘Protocols’ as True.

Obama's 'Peace partners' - Palestinian Authority TV Presents Anti-Semitic ‘Protocols’ as True. (JP).

A Fatah party representative speaking on Palestinian Authority TV quoted from “The Protocols of the Elders of Zion” and referred to the content of that fabricated anti-Semitic document as true.

“According to Israel’s ideology, strategy, and policy from 1956 until now, Gaza is outside the Israeli ideological thinking. Even in their Protocols [of the Elders of Zion] and even in their bible [it says], ‘Don’t live in Gaza,’” Fatah spokesperson Osama Al-Qawasmi recently said, Palestinian Media Watch (PMW) reported Wednesday.

The comment is the latest of many in official Palestinian Authority (PA) media reports that cite the Russian-published fabrication describing Jewish plans to subjugate the world as a legitimate source, according to PMW. Often, the “Protocols” document is used to legitimize the ancient blood libel claiming that Jews kill gentiles and use their blood to make matzah for Passover.

“We have nothing with which to speak to these Israeli murderers, who go too far with their crimes, and whose God, ‘Yahweh’, is called the Lord of Hosts and demands, according to ‘The Protocols of the Elders of Zion,’ that they offer him sacrifices during Passover in the form of Matzah made from the blood of our children,” an editorial in the official PA daily newspaper, Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, stated in July 2014. Hmmmm.....It was never about land.

Hamas: Israel agrees in principle to build seaport and airport in Gaza

Hamas: Israel agrees in principle to build seaport and airport in Gaza. (IMRA).

Regional changes to force Abbas act positively towards Gaza Strip Hamas newspaper 25 April 2015 http://english.alresalah.ps/en/post.php?id=4640

GAZA CITY (Alresalah.ps) -- A year after the Beach Agreement had been signed by both Hamas and Fatah, the Consensus Government returned to the Gaza Strip for the third time, seeking to count the PA staff  a move that aims to complete the integration process of all ministries in the Gaza Strip. Decisions taken by the Consensus Government sparked a political debate over the outcome of this situation.

Seemingly, good intentions and promises made by the government were not enough for Hamas to rest assured. The countless numbers of attempts, which failed to reach a real agreement, made the Islamic Resistance Movement cautious over any promises pledged by the government.

But the question is "what is the secret behind the sudden moves of the PA and political changes towards Gaza?"

The PA is concerned that it might be given the axe due to the regional and national changes, since it is the less effective side.

The PA alleges that indirect secret negotiations are taking place between Hamas and Israel, brokered by European sides. Observers believe that these negotiations will alleviate the impacts of Israel's siege on the Gaza Strip, in case it happened.

Sources confirm that there is a European and international desire to end the crises in the coastal enclave, mainly the reconstruction issue, and to bring about a long-term truce.

Anonymous sources told Alresalah.ps that there is a principal Israeli agreement to build a seaport and an airport in the Gaza Strip, "since Israel is capable of destroying them completely in any coming war." What is most important for the Israelis is to reach a state of security and political stability.

The Saudi rapprochement with Hamas was reflected on the Egyptian relations. The Egyptian intelligence demanded to call Chairman of Hamas Political Bureau Khalid Mishaal, according to a Hamas senior leader.

Abbas is well-aware that he will not be an active part in any solutions to the current situation in the Gaza Strip as long as the Consensus Government ignores the strip. The PA realizes that changes in realtions with Saudi Arabia strengthened Hamas' positions.

Thus, Abbas may change his stances towards the people of the Gaza Strip.

Video - PA President Abbas Supports Operation in Yemen, Says: We Too Suffer from Division

'Al-Sharq Al-Awsat' Article: PA's Accession To ICC Will Harm It, As Well As Hamas, Turkey And Qatar.

'Al-Sharq Al-Awsat' Article: PA's Accession To ICC Will Harm It, As Well As Hamas, Turkey And Qatar. (Memri).

Charges Against Hamas Could Jeopardize Qatar And Turkey, Who Take Part In Funding This Movement.

"Recently many people have been writing about Qatar and Turkey's direct and indirect support of Hamas. Both countries are hosting Hamas leaders: [Hamas political bureau head] Khaled Mash'al is in Doha and [Hamas official] Saleh Al-'Arouri is in Ankara. 

In addition, both [countries] are surely aware of the general trend in international criminal law which broadens the scope of 'aiding and abetting' to include elements who take part in activity that can be defined as criminal.

"Legal studies indicate that the Palestinians can create a problem for the elements that aid them. How? Qatar and Turkey are known to be among Hamas' direct sources of funding. Both have secretly supplied the organization with tens of millions of dollars every year, which served for various purposes.

Fatah spokesman Ahmad 'Assaf said in a September 16, 2014 interview on Al-Awda TV that the Hamas leadership in Gaza had received hundreds of millions of dollars for a campaign [to help] children, the elderly and martyrs' [families].

However, according to 'Assaf, the funds never reached their destination, and he wondered where they had gone. An ICC investigation of Qatar and Turkey may [also] address allegations regarding their funding of global jihad organizations that are accused of terrorism, such as ISIS and Jabhat Al-Nusra.

"In recent months there have been reports that Hamas flew funds from Qatar to Turkey, and then  transferred tens of millions through [Turkish] money changers. [In this case,] the Turkish government helped by turning a blind eye.

This intensive activity is likely to trigger a request for the ICC to investigate the actions of Palestinians living in [Qatar and Turkey], and [it should be borne in mind that] the court's legal tools include the possibility of imposing sanctions. 

Charges may also be brought against the banks and financial institutions in Qatar and Turkey where this activity took place. All this is a result of broadening of the concept of 'aiding and abetting' to include financial support. 

The ICC is likely to act against Hamas officials living in Qatar, Turkey or elsewhere, investigate their military and financial activity, and summon them to appear before it. This [activity] may even include Khaled Mash'al, who was in Qatar during the recent Gaza war.

Such an investigation will turn the spotlight on Qatar, which prefers to be in the spotlight of investments and financial success. It may be pressured to prosecute Mash'al and others, or to designate them fugitives from justice.


"The ICC prosecutor-general does not have the authority to prosecute citizens of countries that are not party to the Rome Statute and are therefore not members of the ICC.

Qatar, Turkey and the other Arab states are not members of the ICC, but if the PA joins it, the prosecutor-general will be able to investigate Palestinians who live or act in these countries.

This means that the ICC will address [issues] pertaining to countries that host Palestinians involved  in 'terror' activity – and this may have political, financial and legal implications. If the ICC addresses issues of terrorism and its funding, this will intensify the general global debate regarding the funding [of terrorism]. This could lead to further investigations, which could yield even more investigations, and so on.

Moreover, states that are members of the ICC and of [other] international organizations, especially those linked to the UN, could have difficulty maintaining normal relations with countries hosting individuals wanted by the ICC, especially when there are guidelines by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon regarding this issue..." Read the full story here.

PA: Wars in Arab region distract from "central confrontation" with "barbaric Israel"

PA: Wars in Arab region distract from "central confrontation" with "barbaric Israel" HT: Palwatch. By Itamar Marcus and Nan Jacques Zilberdik

Op-ed in official PA daily:

Wars in Iraq and Syria

"divert the people of the Arab nation

from the duty 

of the basic and central confrontation,

which is with the barbaric Israel"

"[Israel's] leaders forget that these flames 

are burning because of it,

and will be directed towards it in the end"

A recent op-ed in the official Palestinian Authority daily lamented the current wars in Syria and Iraq because they "divert" the Arab nations from the real goal, which is "to bury the [Israeli] myth that is being lived by the bloodthirsty, helmet-clad and rifle-bearing soldier." 

The op-ed insisted that the civil wars "are burning because of it [Israel], and will be directed towards it in the end."

The following is the op-ed by Fathi Al-Bis, regular columnist for the official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida:

"The region around us is burning. The abhorrent sectarianism (i.e., wars in Iraq and Syria) is burning everything... Israel - a product of myth, racism and war - believes that the conflagration in the region gives it a free hand and respite, and that the flames won't reach it. It therefore continues to kill, burn, destroy and attack, in all the forms inappropriate to human beings. Its leaders forget that these flames are burning because of it, and will be directed towards it in the end.

Israel's racist and extremist leadership has not learned its lesson. For over 60 years now, it has been killing, causing [people] to flee, expelling, taking prisoners, winning wars and annexing lands. But in reality, it is in crisis, because it has not succeeded in extinguishing the flames in the soul of the Palestinian Arab, and has not succeeded in obliterating the Palestinian national identity...

The Palestinian lives in tranquility regarding his future, for he lives the times, the reality and the truth, while the Israeli lives in the helmets of the soldiers of myth, who are killers and savages, and restless regarding their future. [They] cover themselves with weapons from head to foot, yet cannot close their eyes, out of fear and a lack of a sense of security. This is because security has not been achieved since Israel was born, despite the huge support it received from the West - especially from the US and European countries like Britain, who aided this distorted birth.

With the excuse of the disappearance of three settlers (i.e., On June 12, 2014, three Israeli teens Eyal Yifrach, 19, Gilad Shaar, 16, and Naftali Frenkel, 16, were kidnapped while hitchhiking in the West Bank.) who were on a land which did not belong to them, while robbing and challenging the owners of the land, Israel does as it pleases in the West Bank, and threatens Gaza... The Palestinian knows that at the moment, he lacks military capacity, but he [also] knows that the nations of the world are becoming disgusted by Israel's arrogance and racism, and that its isolation is now only a matter of time.

Therefore, he [the Palestinian] turns to the world, from the [UN] Security Council to all the UN institutions, asking for protection from the arrogance of power and savage racism, which it needs and deserves - without forfeiting its resistance using all available means, with its modest capabilities, first among which is resolve on the ground, patience and endurance... The Palestinian, with [his] Arab loyalty and identity which knows no sectarianism, confronts Israel.

He observes with sadness the flames that surround him and that divert the people of the Arab nation from the duty of the basic and central confrontation, which is with the barbaric Israel. He looks forward to the day when the flames of [this] abhorrent sectarianism will be extinguished, so that everyone will be free to bury the [Israeli] myth that is being lived by the bloodthirsty, helmet-clad and rifle-bearing soldier out of the self-deception that this is the way to protect his existence and security. But the soldier of the helmet will not win and will continue to live in fear." [Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, June 23, 2014

Obama's 'Peacepartners' Hamas: PA forces assault protesters in Ramallah.

Obama's 'Peacepartners' Hamas: PA forces assault protesters in Ramallah. (IMRA).

RAMALLAH (Ma'an) -- Palestinian Authority security forces "assaulted" Hamas-affiliated protesters in Ramallah Monday evening, the Islamist movement said.

Hamas said it had organized a protest in support of hunger-striking Palestinian prisoners and that PA forces who were trying to prevent the rally assaulted Hamas leader Hassan Yousef, among other protesters.Additionally, three Palestinian journalists who were covering the rally were also targeted by PA forces.

As the security forces attempted to disperse the rally, brawls broke out, leading to injuries among protesters.

Hamas condemned the forces' actions and demanded that the PA be held responsible. Assaults by the security forces "poison the atmosphere of the reconciliation," said Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zahri.

He demanded that President Mahmoud Abbas stop "treating our people with this criminal mentality."

The clashes come as thousands of public sector workers await their salaries following the closure of banks by Hamas security forces in Gaza.

Police officers of the former Hamas-run government in Gaza have been stationed at banks and preventing PA employees from withdrawing their wages.

Employees of the previous government see it as Ramallah's responsibility to pay their salaries, a point of contention yet to be worked out by the new government.

But a Fatah spokesman said Hamas would need to pay the employees of its recently-disposed government.

"Hamas is attempting to burden the Palestinian Authority and the national consensus government with its political and financial crisis," Ahmad Assaf said in a statement.

He said there had been no agreement ahead of reconciliation for the new government to pay Hamas employees' salaries. The fate of the former Gaza government's civil servants remains unclear.

'Yes We Can' - PA forces detain 16 Hamas supporters in West Bank.

'Yes We Can' - PA forces detain 16 Hamas supporters in West Bank.HT: IMRA.

PA forces detain 16 Hamas supporters in West Bank Published today (updated) 08/06/2014 20:48
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=703128

GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- Palestinian Authority security forces detained 16 Hamas supporters and issued summons to seven others across the West Bank, the Islamist movement said Sunday.

The arrests came just days after a Palestinian unity government was inaugurated in Ramallah, based on an agreement between Hamas and the PLO. In Nablus, PA forces detained 16-year-old Naji Tabouq, 17-year-old Mahmoud al-Anati, Muhammad Tahsin al-Nimir, Zahi al-Dawwaya, Mahmoud Tabouq,
Muhammad Antar, Said Abu Lawi, Yasan al-Bahsh, Ali al-Bahsh, Tamir Abhu Shamat, Muhammad Heiron, and Abboud Heiron.

In the Ramallah district, PA forces arrested Sami Thabit from the village of Shuqba and two men from the Umm al-Sharayit neighborhood of Ramallah.

Meanwhile, in Hebron, PA forces detained Jaafar Naim Misk, the Hamas statement said.

The PA also sent summons for interrogation to seven other Hamas supporters in Ramallah, Bethlehem, Tubas, and Qalqiliya, the statement added.

As the unity government prepares to enter its second week, political detentions threaten to drive a wedge between Hamas and the Fatah-led PLO.

Another point of tension has been the fate of employees formerly employed by the Hamas-run government in the Gaza Strip.

Hamas and the PLO, it seems, neglected to reach an agreement on whether the newly-formed unity government would take over paying the 50,000 employees, including security officers.


The financial dispute began Wednesday when security officers of the Hamas government prevented PA employees from withdrawing their salaries, saying they should not receive their salaries until employees of the former government did as well.

Video - PA TV - Tzipi Livni murdered nuclear scientist.

PA TV - Tzipi Livni murdered nuclear scientist.HT: Palwatch.

Palestinian lecturer on official PA TV:

"Tzipi Livni murdered... an Iraqi nuclear scientist and she poisoned him to death" "These threats (against Mahmoud Abbas) must be taken seriously"

PA Chairman Abbas' spokesperson:

"Statements made by Tzipi Livni, should be considered official threats... [and] make her a party that cannot be negotiated with"

By Itamar Marcus and Nan Jacques Zilberdik

Palestinian spokespeople have been presenting Israeli MP Tzipi Livni's statements that Abbas will have to pay the price for the peace talks' failure if he doesn't moderate his positions, as actual, personal threats to Abbas:

"Spokesman for PA Chairman Abbas, Nabil Abu Rudeina said that statements made by Minister of Justice and head of the Israeli negotiating team Tzipi Livni should be considered official threats and are unacceptable... He added that Livni's statements make her a party that cannot be negotiated with... It should be noted that Livni warned President Abbas that, 'He will pay the price for adhering to his positions.'" [Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, Jan. 27, 2014]

Muhammad Abu Saada, a lecturer in International Law at the University of Palestine in Gaza was interviewed by PA TV. He asserted that Livni's threats should be taken seriously since she murdered "an Iraqi nuclear scientist and poisoned him to death," and therefore, may commit murder again. The following is a transcript of the interview given by Muhammad Abu Saada, a lecturer in International Law at the University of Palestine in Gaza, to PA TV:   PA TV host: "[Tzipi] Livni, the Israeli Minister of Justice, the head of the Israeli negotiating team, threatened President Abbas and said that if he continues to refuse to recognize the Jewish state and adheres to his positions, which are unacceptable to Israel and the world, he will pay the price. What price is Livni talking about?" Muhammad Abu Saada, lecturer in International Law, University of Palestine, Gaza: "Livni is a Mossad officer... These threats must be taken seriously... Based on Livni's mentality and on an analysis of Livni's personality, could she do something stupid? And could her threat be carried out? The answer is yes.  Why? First of all, Livni comes from a family that is extremely far-right... I want to remind so-called Minister Livni: Livni, the French government issued a warrant for your arrest in 1983. Why? Because at the time, Livni was a Mossad officer working as a maid in the home of an Iraqi nuclear scientist and she killed him with poison... Livni, in legal terminology, is a criminal. She has a criminal record. She is a murderer. She committed murder in 1983 and Britain issued a warrant for her arrest in 2009. Livni's personality has a criminal mentality, of direct murder. Therefore, we must understand this [threat] on the personal level. Regarding the price, we're talking about two things. Either the price is President Mahmoud Abbas' life - this is one price." PA TV host: "Like what happened to the late Yasser Arafat." Muhammad Abu Saada: "Of course. The second price is the possibility of destroying the foundations and rule of Palestine headed by the President, in the political sense." [Official PA TV, Jan. 30, 2014]

PA Dep PM warns of worsening financial crisis.

PA Dep PM warns of worsening financial crisis.HT: IMRA.

RAMALLAH (Ma'an) -- The Palestinian Authority deputy prime minister for economic affairs said Tuesday that the financial crisis is getting worse, as the new PA cabinet met for the first time.

"There is a major financial crisis and the PA is $4.2 billion in internal and external debt," Muhammad Mustafa said during a news conference following the cabinet meeting.

"We will start looking for sources of financial funds and will examine spending and collect taxes to pay our debts on time."

The PA official also warned of a growing job crisis, with over 250,000 Palestinians currently unemployed, young people particularly affected."The government will work hard to create jobs, especially for the youth sector through the launching of new projects," he said.

The PA owes $600 million to banks and $1 billion to international financial institutions, Mustafa said, adding that the new cabinet is working on a three year plan, starting with a 100-day short-term strategy.

The 15th Palestinian government headed by Rami Hamdallah was sworn in before President Mahmoud Abbas last Thursday.

In March, the International Monetary Fund warned that the PA's fiscal situation was "increasingly precarious," calling for urgent action to help close a gaping budget deficit and to stabilize the economy.

The IMF said Israeli restrictions on movement and access were virtually unchanged and continued to hamper growth.Hmmmm......The more money they receive the lower their GDP.Read the full story here.

Protocols of the Elders of Zion alive and well in the PA.

PA TV recently broadcast a statement by a Palestinian Imam who likewise referred to The Protocols of the Elders of Zion as an authentic Jewish work. He said the "enemies" intend to corrupt Muslims with wine and women, which is a tactic set down in The Protocols of the Elders of Zion:

"Our enemies say:

'A glass of wine and a pretty woman can harm Muhammad's nation more than a thousand canons. We must strive to destroy the moral values so that we can easily rule the world.' That's in The Protocols of the Elders of Zion."

Protocols of the Elders of Zion alive and well in the PA.(PalWatch). By Itamar Marcus and Nan Jacques Zilberdik. Old Antisemitic forgery alive and well in the PA:

The Protocols of the Elders of Zion

Op-ed published by Palestinian news agency Ma'an:

"One wonders if the Jews belong to some other kind of human species... From where does all this evil and destructive energy derive?

Do all the other nations deserve all this evil and hostility, just so that Jews may control them?"

PA Imam on PA TV:

"Our enemies [the Jews] say: ... 'We must strive to destroy the moral values so that we can easily rule the world.' That's in The Protocols of the Elders of Zion."

by Itamar Marcus and Nan Jacques Zilberdik

The Palestinian news agency Ma'an continues to include Antisemitic content on its website. Currently the op-ed section features an article presenting the old Antisemitic forgery The Protocols of the Elders of Zion as a true document delineating the Jews' plan to subjugate the world.

Opinion piece by Walid Shomaly:

"The Protocols of the Elders of Zion are a kind of plan formulated by the Jews to infiltrate the world and take it over. While many Jewish leaders claim that they (the Protocols) are a forgery and one of the greatest political fabrications of the modern era, others confirm that they are true and that they are the most dangerous plot of global domination that history has ever known."

Having described the content of some of the protocols, the writer demonizes all Jews:

"Now, after this quick review of a few of these protocols, one wonders if the Jews belong to some other kind of human species, different from other nations. From where does all this evil and destructive energy derive? Do all the other nations deserve all this evil and hostility, just so that Jews may control them? Do all nations other than Jews really have clouded minds?"

And he wonders about the extent of Jewish world domination already today:

"Have most of the things that appear in the Protocols been implemented in the West and in the East? Did the idea of a Jewish world government begin to be carried out towards the end of the last century? And does the US rule the world today in the name of the new world order for the benefit of the Jews, in accordance with these Protocols? Are we on the brink of the establishment of an evident Jewish world government? Until we have answers to these questions and ponderings - as well as others - we say, 'May Allah help us, we the children of Palestine...'"

When describing how one of the protocols "calls to crush religious authority, especially the papacy," Shomaly condemns Christian Zionists in the US as "Zionists in the guise of Christians":

"We see how approximately eighty million Zionist Christians in the United States itself give Israel their absolute support, claiming [to belong to] Christianity while they in fact have no connection with it, for these people are Zionists in the guise of Christians. Thus they can achieve two goals: The first, to smash Christian values and perceptions from within; and the second, to support Zionism by legitimizing its occupation and settling of Palestine."

According to the writer, the Protocols include among other things the following:

"The first protocol calls for the spread of anarchy and wars... [and] contains plans to spread corruption in the world in order to establish firm Jewish rule... Jews are to entice men through liquor, debauchery, and women, and to use fraud, bribery, and betrayal to achieve their goals."

"The second protocol calls for a takeover of government, education, and the press. The fourth protocol calls for a takeover of trade and the destruction of religion."

"While the seventh protocol calls to instigate global wars, the ninth lays out plans to destroy moral values and dispatch agents."

"As far as education is concerned, the sixteenth protocol calls for corrupting it so as to reduce gentiles to creatures incapable of independent thought. Regarding religion, the seventeenth protocol calls to crush religious authority, especially the papacy."

"As regards impoverishing the nations and starving them so as to control them, the twentieth protocol calls for drowning countries in debts, and then forcing them to borrow from Jewish wealth at high interest rates, so that these countries will remain subservient and under their control."Read and see the full story here.

Is the Palestinian Authority lying to European governments to receive European funding?

Is the Palestinian Authority lying to European governments to receive European funding? (PW).

European and US money donated to the PA's general budget is paying salaries not only to all Palestinian terrorists in Israeli prisons but also to 4,000 former security and terrorist prisoners

by Itamar Marcus and Nan Jacques Zilberdik

Palestinian Media Watch has seen statements by both the British and Norwegian governments defending their payments to the Palestinian Authority's general budget for salaries. These statements came in response to two PMW reports documenting that thousands of imprisoned terrorists are among the recipients of PA salaries. In their statements, both the British and Norwegian governments say that the PA has informed them that the PA does not pay "salaries" to terrorists in Israeli prisons, but social "assistance" payments to the prisoners' families. Minister of State Alan Duncan on behalf of Britain's Department for International Development (DfID) said: "The second [PA] payment scheme [to prisoners] is intended to assist families in need of assistance." Both governments have written that this information was received from the PA. (See statements below.)

PMW has repeatedly rejected this claim and documented that the payments are indeed salaries not correlated to need but given as a reward for the prisoners' terror acts, which the PA sees as actions worthy of "esteem." (See below.) It would violate the letter or spirit of the Western donor countries' laws and certainly the intent of all Western donors, to have their contributions to the PA go to terrorists' salaries.
1. PA Minister's statement rejects as "rumor" the information the PA supplied to the Europeans.The PA has now released a statement through its official news service, WAFA, explicitly contradicting the information that it supplied to the Europeans, while corroborating PMW's documentation. The PA Minister of Prisoners' Affairs, Issa Karake, announced that the categorization of the prisoners' "salaries" as social "assistance" was an incorrect "rumor":

"[Minister of Prisoners' Affairs Issa] Karake denies rumors about changing salaries (Arabic: rawatib) into social assistance (Arabic: i'anat ijtima'iya)... He noted that the government headed by Salam Fayyad considers the prisoners' cause central, and has authorized regulations to support and protect them out of esteem for their sacrifice and struggle."

[WAFA (the official Palestinian Authority news agency), Dec. 27, 2012]

Significantly, the PA's denial of the information it supplied to its international donors was announced by WAFA, the official Palestinian Authority news agency. (See full article below.)

Additionally, it should be noted that PA Minister Karake stressed that it is not merely an issue of language, but of the essence of the payment. Karake explained that the prisoners are supported "out of esteem for their sacrifice and struggle," i.e., as a reward for their actions. UK Min. of State Duncan wrote in his letter on behalf of UK's DfID, that:

"It is true that in some cases, payments will go to families of those who have committed the sort of crime that we utterly condemn. We believe however that it would be wrong to punish innocent children and dependent family members by denying them access to social support."

What is explicit from PA Minister Karake's words is that the payments are not for the "innocent children," but "out of esteem for their (i.e., the prisoners') sacrifice and struggle." To the UK and the West, terrorism is a "crime that we utterly condemn." However, to the PA it is specifically those crimes that are held in "esteem" and rewarded with monthly salaries.

The PA's payment of salaries in recognition of their acts of terror is consistent with the PA's policy of glorifying terrorists. (See the 40 page PMW special report prepared in December 2012 for members of the Dutch Foreign Affairs Committee, documenting over 100 examples of the PA honoring and glorifying terrorists, including terrorist murderers.)

2. Palestinian terrorist prisoners continue to receive a salary after being released from prison. Today, 4,000 released prisoners receive a "permanent" and "full monthly salary."
Palestinian terrorist prisoners who served more than five years in prison remain on PA's payroll even after being released. 4,000 released prisoners who were imprisoned for terrorism or other security offenses, now receive "permanent" "full monthly salaries", even though many are "in the prime of their lives and could get a job and work." The PA's payment of a full salary to released prisoners is another example of how the PA rewards terrorists with donor money:

TV interview with PA Minister Karake:

TV host: "You speak of a permanent salary for every [released] prisoner who was in prison for more than five years, and he gets his salary while he sits at home. Some of them are in the prime of their lives and could get a job and work. Why not use him in the workforce and give him a salary?"
Minister Karake: "That's right. I presented it to the government and we decided to give preference to employ these prisoners... in order to make the prisoner into a productive person..."
Host: "Do we have the number of prisoners who get full monthly salaries?"
Karake: "About 4,000."
Host: "That's an army."
Karake: "Yes, that's a big number, and it's growing."
Host: "They don't work. They just collect a salary."
Karake: "Some work."
Host: "A small number."
Karake: "Some volunteer and work in different institutions."

[Wattan TV, private Palestinian channel, Dec. 29, 2012, emphasis added]

3. PA changes language of law from "salary" to "assistance" to satisfy the UK, but immediately reverts back to original language
An additional indicator that the PA government seems to be intentionally deceiving its foreign donors is that the UK minister wrote that the PA admitted that its law originally stated it was paying "salaries" -"ratib." However, in response to the donors' queries they decided to change the language of the law from "salaries" - "ratib"- to "assistance" - "la'ana." (See UK DfID letter below.)

Strikingly, this cosmetic change - substituting one word with another - was accepted as adequate, satisfying both by the UK and Norway.

There are indications that the PA may actually have changed the terminology of the law from "salary" (ratib) to "assistance" (la'ana) to satisfy the Europeans, but then immediately changed it back under pressure from prisoners' organizations. The following statements by Palestinian prisoners' support organizations shed light on this PA pretense:

Headline: "Fares: The government has given the 'Prisoners and Released Prisoners Law' final approval."
"Prisoners' Club Chairman Qadura Fares said that the government has given final approval for what is stipulated in the Prisoners' and Released [Prisoners'] Law of 2004, which considers payments made to prisoners 'salaries,' (Arabic: ratib) to which no other term applies.

In a statement made to the media, Fares on Thursday [Dec. 27, 2012] called for an end to the disagreement in this matter, which was settled in accordance with the law passed by the previous (PA) Parliament in 2004.

The Ahrar Center for Prisoners' and Human Rights Research had demanded that President Mahmoud Abbas intervene immediately to reverse the government's decision to replace the term 'prisoner salary' (Arabic: ratib) with the term 'prisoner assistance (Arabic: i'anat.)

The Ahrar Center had noted that Palestinian laws are explicit, and what a prisoner receives is not 'assistance' (Arabic: ma'una, from the same root as i'anat), but rather his minimal rights for the years he spent in prison."

[Al-Quds Internet edition, Dec. 27, 2012, emphasis added]

Conclusions.

After the UK and Norway questioned the PA about its payment of salaries to terrorists, the PA changed the language of the law of its payments to terrorists from "salary" to "assistance." This change was made so that these countries would continue their funding of the PA. Organizations representing the Palestinian prisoners complained about this cosmetic change in the law, which was seen as an insult to the prisoners who deserve the payments as a "salary" and a "right," not as social "assistance". The PA government responded, according to Prisoners' Club Chairman Qadura Fares, and made a final version of the law "which considers payments made to prisoners 'salaries,' (Arabic: ratib) to which no other term applies."
This was all corroborated by the PA Minister of Prisoners' Affairs who said that even the cosmetic name change to "social assistance" was only a rumor and that prisoners receive "salaries" out of the PA's "esteem" for them.

Since 2011, PMW has been informing international donors that aid money given to the PA for salaries and for the PA's general budget pays the salaries of Palestinian terrorists imprisoned in Israel. This is in violation of the letter or spirit of the laws of the funding countries. These salaries are paid to all prisoners, including those who personally murdered Israelis, like 17 year-old Hakim Awad who murdered five members of the Fogel family, as well as terrorists like Ibrahim Hamid, who received 54 life sentences for planning several suicide bombings.

None of these payments have ever been denied by the PA.

Apparently, European funders of the PA have continued to fund the salaries as well as the general budget because the PA is supplying them with false and only partial information. The Europeans may not be aware that their donations to the PA were also paying salaries for 4,000 released prisoners who are able to work. Likewise, the donors were misinformed by the PA that their payments for salaries are "social assistance." The words of the Minister of Prisoners' Affairs to the Palestinian audience in Arabic are explicit: the purpose of the laws regarding the prisoners and their salary payments is not to give social "assistance" based on needs, but were enacted "out of esteem" for their actions.

Click to view pdf of this PMW report with previous PMW reports documenting the PA's payment of salaries to terrorists in prison.

Click to view pdf of PMW's first report exposing the PA's payment of salaries to terrorists in prison.

Click to view pdf of PMW's first report on UK aid financing the PA's payment of salaries to terrorists in prison.

Click to view pdf of PMW's second report on UK aid financing the PA's payment of salaries to terrorists in prison.

Click to view pdf of PMW's report on PA payment of salaries and glorification of terrorists and Dutch funding.