Israel raids homes of terrorists’ families, seizes hundreds of thousands in PA funds

Police raided several homes, including that of Muhammad Abd al-Rahman Abad, who was involved in an attempted suicide attack in Jerusalem in 2002.

Israeli security forces confiscated hundreds of thousands of shekels in cash, as well as property and vehicles worth nearly NIS 100,000 in a large-scale operation on Wednesday, raiding the homes of terrorists and their families who receive payment from the Palestinian Authority. 

Police raided several homes, including that of Muhammad Abd al-Rahman Abad, who was involved in an attempted suicide attack in Jerusalem in 2002.

They also raided the home of Ahed Faiz Ali al-Natasha, a Hamas agent who was involved in 2001 in planning a car bomb explosion in the parking lot of an apartment building in Pisgat Ze'ev and in planning the attack at the Clal Center in Jerusalem, in which two police officers and ten civilians were injured.

Palestinian Authority continues to pay terrorists, US State Department report confirms

In March, the US State Department informed Congress that the Palestinian Authority is still making payments to terrorists and their families, despite promises to end the “pay for slay” programs.

A total of $156 million was paid out to the terrorists and their families, the report said. $126m. was paid to Palestinian terrorists, including those released from Israeli custody, and $30m. was paid to the families of Palestinian terrorists who died committing their acts of terrorism. The PA had promised to give the families a total of $214m.

Payments continued despite PA President Mahmoud Abbas legislating changes to the West Bank’s welfare system last year, shifting payments to a needs-based model rather than stipends scaled to the length of a terrorist’s sentence.

“The PA continues to provide a system of compensation in support of terrorism through new mechanisms and under a different name,” the State Department reported. The report cited information from the Israeli government, open-source sources, and NGOs.