Public Security Minister Omer Bar-Lev met in Tel Aviv with senior Palestinian Authority official Hussein al-Sheikh just 30 minutes after a convicted Negev Bedouin terrorist murdered four Israelis and wounded two others in an attack in Be’er Sheva, according to Hebrew-language journalist Gal Berger, a Palestinian Authority affairs reporter with Israel’s KAN News public broadcaster.
– והוא אכן הוסר כעבור כמה שעות.
בכירים ישראלים אמרו הלילה לבכירים אירופים כי הפוסט הוא דוגמא לגילויי התמיכה של הרשות הפלסטינית בטרור, ששיאם בתשלום משכורות למחבלים, וזו הסיבה להמשך קיזוז הכספים מכספי המיסים של הפלסטינים.
(4 ואחרון)
— Gal Berger גל ברגר (@galberger) March 23, 2022
Bar-Lev infuriated hundreds of mourners Wednesday at the funeral for Doris Yahbas, 49, held in Moshav Gilat, when he vowed to ensure the terrorist, who was shot and killed at the scene of the attack, would be imprisoned. He later apologized, saying he “misspoke.”
The guns used by a bus driver and second civilian to shoot the attacker were confiscated by police – under Bar-Lev’s authority — for ballistics testing. The weapons were to be returned within 24 hours.
At the start of their meeting, Al-Sheikh — considered to be the second-highest Palestinian Authority official exceeded only by PA leader Mahmoud Abbas — reportedly expressed deep shock at the news of the Be’er Sheva attack.
Their meeting, which began about 20 minutes late and lasted just over an hour, was scheduled in advance and was reportedly convened to discuss security preparations for the upcoming Islamic holy month of Ramadan.
Bar-Lev arrived late due to his talks with Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Police Commissioner Kobi Shabtai following the terror attack in Be’er Sheva.
The Palestinian Authority’s state-run television authority uploaded a post on Facebook expressing support for the Be’er Sheva terrorist, who was a supporter of the Islamic State terror group.
Senior PA officials were allegedly furious with the person in charge of PA TV broadcasts and ordered him to remove the post in response to Israeli pressure.
Israeli officials subsequently pointed to the incident in discussions with European officials Wednesday night as an example of the Palestinian Authority government’s official support for terrorism, which includes a “pay to slay” policy of remuneration to imprisoned terrorists and their families.
Israeli officials explained that such policies are the reason for partial withholding of taxes collected on behalf of the Ramallah government, in the amount of the funds paid to terrorist prisoners and their families.
