by AP, Reuters and Israel Hayom Staff
Representative for Palestinian prisoners says 277 former prisoners aligned with Hamas have not received salaries • "We believe Palestinian Authority has succumbed to U.S., Israeli pressure," says former prisoner • PA officials unavailable for comment.
Israel says the payments
reward and encourage prisoners' actions against it
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Photo credit: Moshe Shai  |
Scores of former Palestinian prisoners freed
by Israel and living in the Gaza Strip said on Sunday their stipends
from the Western-backed Palestinian Authority have been suspended in an
apparent bid to appease Israel and the United States.
A spokesman for Palestinian prisoners said
that 277 freed prisoners in the Gaza Strip, most of whom are aligned
with the Islamist terrorist Hamas group that runs the coastal enclave,
were surprised to find their May stipends had not been paid.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has demanded
that the Palestinians, who view the prisoners as national heroes, stop
paying stipends to the prisoners and their families, and U.S. lawmakers
have warned that Palestinian funding could be cut off unless Palestinian
Authority President Mahmoud Abbas halts the practice.
It was not immediately clear whether the
missing money transfers meant Abbas has decided to stop the payments to
some of the ex-prisoners. A Palestinian Authority spokesman was not
immediately available for comment Sunday.
Israel says the payments are a reward and
encouragement for the prisoners' actions against, it but the
Palestinians say they are welfare payments to support them and their
families.
In the past, Abbas was reluctant to halt the
payments, fearing a popular backlash. Support for prisoners is a
Palestinian consensus issue, despite the political split between Hamas,
which rules Gaza, and the West Bank-based government of Abbas' Fatah
movement.
"The prisoners went to the banks today and
found no salaries in their accounts," he said. "We are waiting to hear
from the bank officially tomorrow to see if this is a salary stop."
Shadid said those affected had been released
in 2011 when Hamas traded captive Israeli soldier Gilad Schalit for more
than 1,000 prisoners held by Israel. Among those who did not receive
their stipends, only one belongs to Fatah, and the rest to Hamas, said
Shadid.
Zaid Al-Kilani, a Hamas terrorist who was
serving a life sentence before he was freed in the 2011 prisoner swap,
said, "Abbas is punishing freed prisoners by suspending the salaries
they and their families rely on. ... We believe the Palestinian
Authority has succumbed to American and Israeli pressure." he said.
Hamas lawmaker Ayman Daraghmeh said that 47 lawmakers did not receive their June salaries and when they inquired with Gaza's Finance Ministry they were told it was "orders from above."
Palestinian Authority officials were not available for comment but the move may also be an attempt by Abbas to force reconciliation between the Fatah movement, which holds sway in the West Bank, and Hamas, which controls Gaza.
Hamas lawmaker Ayman Daraghmeh said that 47 lawmakers did not receive their June salaries and when they inquired with Gaza's Finance Ministry they were told it was "orders from above."
Palestinian Authority officials were not available for comment but the move may also be an attempt by Abbas to force reconciliation between the Fatah movement, which holds sway in the West Bank, and Hamas, which controls Gaza.
Some 6,500 Palestinians are being held in
Israeli jails, many of whom were convicted of carrying out terror
attacks or planning terror attacks against Israelis.
AP, Reuters and Israel Hayom Staff
Source: http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_article.php?id=42883
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