United States Ambassador to Israel David M. Friedman has slammed the Palestinian Authority’s decision to reward the murderer of well-known pro-Israel advocate Ari Fuld, HY’D.
The Palestinian Prisoner Affairs Commission has confirmed that the family of the terrorist who murdered Ari Fuld is “eligible to receive a monthly salary” as compensation for his incarceration. This practice is unconscionable and must stop if there is to be any hope for peace.
— David M. Friedman (@USAmbIsrael)
Fuld was stabbed in the back Sunday at the Harim shopping center in Gush Etzion by Khalil Jabarin, a 17-year-old terrorist from the Palestinian Authority city of Yatta.
Pouring blood from his wounds, he pulled his gun and chased his attacker who was running with his knife to stab a second person, the owner of the felafel stand who had served him just a few minutes prior. Fuld succeeded in aiming and firing three shots at the terrorist before collapsing to the ground. All three bullets found their mark, as did those of two others who joined the chase – the security guard at the mall and a civilian who also pulled his gun when he saw what was happening.
Despite multiple gunshots, the terrorist was only moderately wounded. He is currently being treated in Jerusalem’s Hadassah Ein Kerem Medical Center, where he remains under police custody.
The family of Khalil Jabarin has reportedly already received an advance from the government of the Palestinian Authority in the amount of approximately $3,300 (NIS 12,000), according to a report Monday by Israel’s Channel 20 TV news.
If he is sentenced to life in prison, he could ultimately win more than $1.7 million. The family is eligible in any case to receive a “monthly salary” of NIS 1,400 ($390) if he is jailed, the PA said.
David Bedein, founder of The Center for Near East Policy Research think tank, reported Tuesday that his group filed a formal request with the Israel defense establishment, urging the state to impound the bank account of Jabarin’s family “so as to prevent the killer family from receiving and benefitting from any incentive for murder.”
As with many of us in media, Bedein also was among those who knew Ari Fuld as a friend.