The Palestinian Authority received 12.6 million euros from the EU on Friday, according to a statement by the Office of the European Union Representative. Most of it went to Gaza.
It was the third of four quarterly payments of social allowances by the EU pledged to support poor Arab families in Judea, Samaria and Gaza.
“Eligible beneficiaries are households living in extreme poverty that are registered in the cash transfer program of the Ministry of Social Affairs,” the statement read. “The program is designed to provide a basic safety net to the poorest and most vulnerable Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza, through cash and in-kind assistance.
The Palestinian Authority grants convicted, incarcerated murderers monthly stipends of up $3,500, and release grants of up to $25,000, according to the Israel Government Press Office. The GPO quoted a senior PA official responsible for prisoner affairs who said in June 2014 that former Arab prisoners were to receive grants of up to $50,000.
“In this way, the PA is giving a strong financial incentive to terrorism, including through the misuse of fungible foreign financial assistance,” said Israel’s foreign ministry. “Publicly rewarding convicted murderers gives an official stamp of approval to terrorist attacks on Israeli civilians. It is a highly persuasive form of incitement to violence and terrorism… and may tempt young Palestinians to seek an answer to familial financial difficulties through the use of violence.”
The EU contribution covers nearly 40 percent of the total cost of providing cash assistance to over 122,000 Palestinian households living in poverty,” the statement continued.
“Almost two-thirds of the beneficiaries are in Gaza, including over 8,100 families who have been added to the program one year after the escalation of hostilities and its disastrous consequences…. this amount includes 10 million euros to provide immediate relief and build the resilience of households that have been pulled into further poverty as a result of the 2014 hostilities in Gaza,” said Ralph Tarraf, the EU Representative.
“With this amount, an estimated 10,000 households in Gaza who fulfill the criteria of the cash transfer program will benefit from a limited number of quarterly payments in 2015, until a more sustainable solution is found to ensure their livelihood in safety and dignity.”
Instead of using the donated funds to improve the lives of Gaza residents, however, the ruling Hamas terrorist organization has been redirecting most resources towards its endless goal to annihilate the State of Israel.
A Hamas fighter captured by Israel this past July revealed the group has rebuilt much of its terrorist infrastructure since the 2014 summer war, including its multi-million dollar subterranean tunnel network.
Very few Gaza families have benefited from the millions of dollars and euros pledged and the building materials shipped into the region to construct their neighborhoods and homes.
Instead, precious materials were used to build a new road along Gaza’s border with Israel in order to execute surprise attacks against the Jewish State.
Since February 2008, more than 1.9 billion euros from the EU coffers have been disbursed through PEGASE — the financial mechanism launched in 2008 to support the direct financial support programs of the PA Reform and Development Plan (2008-2010).
In addition, the EU continues to provide assistance to the Palestinian Authority through UNRWA and other cooperative projects.
In 2013, the EU paid $32 million (29 million euros) in direct support for the PA budget, in addition to its contribution of $389 million (353 million euros) in indirect support.