by Itamar Marcus and Nan Jacques Zilberdik
The U.S. Senate is scheduled to hold a hearing this Wednesday (July 12) on the Taylor Force Act, which would cut all U.S. funding to the Palestinian Authority until it stops paying salaries to terrorists and allowances to families of terrorist “Martyrs.” In anticipation of the legislative event, the Palestinian Media Watch has translated and released a transcript of an Israel Police interrogation of a Palestinian Authority terrorist, which PMW received from the authorities in the original Arabic.
The terrorist, Khaled Rajoub, was caught after his unsuccessful attempt to murder Israelis.
During interrogation, he explained that his motivation for the planned murder was so that he himself would also be killed and his family would then receive monthly payments from the Palestinian Authority.
In his own words: “… any Israeli target – the important thing is that I will die and they will kill me, so that my children will receive a [PA] allowance and live happily.”
Had Khaled Rajoub been killed by Israel during his terror attack, the Palestinian Authority would have declared him a “Martyr” and this would secure his family a monthly PA government lifetime allowance of NIS 2,800 per month: NIS 1,400 base pay — plus NIS 400 for his wife and NIS 200 for each of his five children.
Khaled Rajoub’s statements show that the Palestinian Authority’s financial rewards to terrorists and the families of “Martyrs” definitely constitute motivation for terror.
Throughout the interrogation, terrorist Rajoub kept emphasizing his determination to kill Israelis in order to receive financial allowances from the PA government for his family.
The following is a lengthy excerpt of the transcript of the interrogation by Israel Police of Palestinian Authority terrorist Khaled Rajoub on February 2, 2014:
Khaled Rajoub: “I am a man with a family of seven, including me and my wife. I don’t work, and I’ve accumulated large debts, and am unable to pay them off. I reached a point where, if my son wants a shekel, I have nothing to give him. Therefore I decided to die – it didn’t matter how – by hanging – any way, [just] to die. I thought about it and said to myself that if I die by hanging, or any other way, I won’t get anything out of it, so I decided to do something serious, such as committing murder, something in which I will both kill and die, and then my family will get money (i.e., from the PA) and will live comfortably. In other words, something will come out of my death.
“In the end I decided to kill Israeli soldiers. I got in a car and drove to Al-Fawwar, to the junction, because there’s always a military post there, and I said [to myself] that I’ll run them [the soldiers] over in my car and kill as many as I can, and they’ll shoot me and kill me.
“However, I didn’t find a military post in Al-Fawwar. I continued to drive to a second post, to the gate of [the Israeli town Beit] Hagai because I know there are always soldiers standing there, and I said to myself that I’ll run them over and kill as many as possible, and they’ll kill me. However, I did not find [any soldiers] there either.
“I had no other hope or way, so I broke through the gate of the settlement. I said [to myself] I can kill the guard, and then they’ll shoot me. I broke in with my car and broke it [the gate] and rammed into the second gate. But I couldn’t break it and the guards were behind the second gate. I tried to break it in order to bring it down on them, but it didn’t come down, and they didn’t shoot me, but captured me instead. I was injured during the incident and they took me to a hospital…”
Israeli interrogator: “Did you try to kill the guards who were behind the gate?”
Khaled Rajoub: “Yes, exactly, I tried to bring down the gate on them. I rammed into it twice, but it didn’t come down, and then they captured me and the car remained with them. Too bad I couldn’t kill anyone, and I am determined. Meaning if you release me now, I will take a car, look for soldiers, run them over, and kill them. I am determined to do so.”
Interrogator: “Do you have a gun?”
Khaled Rajoub: “I’ve never carried [a gun].”
Interrogator: “Did you consider bringing a gun?”
Khaled Rajoub: “I have nothing to eat, how can I buy a gun?”
Interrogator: “But why did you decide to kill soldiers, and not someone else?”
Khaled Rajoub: “The best is to kill soldiers. That way they have guns and they’ll shoot me and kill me. But if I’m not able to kill soldiers, I’ll try settlers, guards – in other words any Israeli target – the important thing is that I will die and they will kill me, so that my children will receive a [PA] allowance and live happily.”
Interrogator: “What did you want to achieve by killing soldiers or settlers, or any Israeli target?”
Khaled Rajoub: “So they’d shoot me and I’d die, and my children would receive an allowance.”
Interrogator: “Are you still determined to do that?”
Khaled Rajoub: “Of course, 100 percent. I’m telling you – if you’ll set me free, I’ll do it again as soon as possible. I’ll bring another car, and I’ll run over [soldiers] at the first military post I see. I’ll kill as many as possible, and they’ll shoot me, and I’ll die. There is no other solution.”
Interrogator: “If you have the opportunity to kill soldiers or an Israeli [civilian] in another way – shooting, stabbing, or any other way – will you do it?”
Khaled Rajoub: “I don’t know. Something like that requires checking. Why? Because someone like me, small and disabled in his leg – I barely walk – needs a thorough plan to kill in a different way. The easiest way for someone like me is to run over [someone] with a car.”
Interrogator: “Do you want to add anything?”
Khaled Rajoub: “No, God bless you. But I say to you again – I don’t regret what I did, and if I have the opportunity, I’ll do it again, and I’ll kill soldiers or any Israeli I come across.” [Israeli Police interrogation of terrorist Khaled Rajoub, Feb. 2, 2014]
Radical Islamic terrorists from the Islamic State (IS) and other terrorist groups have been carrying out ramming-and-stabbing attacks around the world in the past few years, but the attack style was copied from Palestinian Authority terrorists trying to kill Israelis.
This Monday (July 10, 2017) another Palestinian Authority terrorist aimed at Israelis using a vehicle in a ramming-and-stabbing attack at the Gush Etzion junction near the Jewish community of Tekoa. One IDF soldier was injured when a pillar fell from the force of the collision, hitting him in the back. The terrorist was shot and critically wounded by his intended victims as he was trying to stab them. He subsequently died of his wounds.