Speaking to Abbas’ government’s policy that continue its ‘Pay to Slay’ monthly stipends to those who kill Israelis, EU officials visiting Israel said, “Violence should not be rewarded or encouraged in any way, but instead prevented and condemned.”

By Ariel Kahana & Israel Hayom Staff

European Union officials on Wednesday spoke out for ‎the first time ‎against the Palestinian Authority’s ‎practice of paying stipends to ‎terrorists imprisoned ‎in Israel and the families of terrorists ‎killed ‎while carrying out attacks against Israelis.‎

A delegation of senior EU officials is visiting ‎Israel and the ‎Palestinian Authority this week and ‎is expected to meet with Israeli ‎and Palestinian ‎officials.

Abbas’ pensions to terrorists – updated 2017

‎The delegation includes, among others, European ‎Commission ‎Director General for Neighborhood and ‎Enlargement Negotiations ‎Christian Danielsson, and ‎the Managing Director for Middle East ‎and North ‎Africa at the European External Action ‎Service ‎Fernando Gentilini‏.‏

The delegation is expected to broach the subject in its meetings ‎with Palestinian officials. ‎

A statement published by Maja Kocijancic, ‎spokesperson for EU ‎foreign policy chief Federica ‎Mogherini, said the mission will review ‎the EU’s ‎engagement in ‎the region. ‎

‎”The objective of the review is to ensure that the ‎EU’s ‎engagement – activities and instruments, the ‎EU’s diplomatic ‎engagement, financial assistance and ‎EU civilian missions – are ‎as efficient and as ‎effective as possible” to advance the two-state ‎solution.‎

The European Union’s annual aid to the Palestinian ‎‎Authority ‎amounts to billions of euros, making it‏ ‏its largest donor. ‎ ‎

The statement stressed that “there is no intention ‎to reduce the ‎current level of EU funding, nor to ‎review EU policies on the Middle ‎East peace process,” but rather to “hear the views” of both ‎parties ‎and “raise and discuss with them any ‎obstacles to peace and to ‎the viability of the two-state solution.‎

‎”The EU also stresses that it “remains firmly ‎committed to the two-state solution as the only ‎realistic and viable way to achieve a just ‎and ‎lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians.” ‎

Still, EU officials condemned the PA’s practice of ‎paying terrorists ‎and their families. ‎

‎”The current system of payments to Palestinian ‎prisoners, ex-‎prisoners and families is part of the ‎political and policy dialogue of ‎the EU with the PA, ‎including at the highest political level,” ‎the ‎delegation said in a statement.‎

‎”We do not believe that violence should be rewarded ‎or ‎encouraged in any way, but instead prevented and ‎condemned, ‎while we expect genuine commitment from ‎both sides toward a ‎peaceful and negotiated two-state solution.‎

The Knesset on Tuesday approved the terrorist wages ‎law, which ‎will see Israel financially ‎penalize ‎Ramallah for paying stipends to ‎terrorists and their ‎families, by ‎deducting a similar amount from ‎the ‎monthly tax revenues ‎that Israel collects on behalf ‎of the ‎Palestinians ‎under the 1993 Oslo Accords. ‎

Lawmakers voted 87-15 in favor of the legislation ‎‎that orders Israel ‎to withhold part of the roughly ‎‎‎$130 million in monthly tax ‎revenues.‎ ‎

The stipends paid to terrorists total approximately ‎‎$330 million, ‎or ‎roughly 7% of the Palestinian ‎Authority’s annual ‎budget. ‎

The delegation’s statement further said its members “have seen ‎the results of the vote in the Knesset.” They expressed ‎‎”concern ‎‎”about the financial situation of the PA,” saying, ‎‎”Our ‎‎expectation is that economic and fiscal agreements ‎‎between ‎Israel and the PA will continue to be ‎‎implemented, including Israel’s ‎obligations under ‎‎the Paris Protocol,” which outlines ‎Israel’s ‎obligations in collecting taxes on behalf of the ‎Palestinian ‎Authority. ‎

‎The Palestinians warned Wednesday that Israel’s ‎decision to ‎withhold the funds was “a declaration of ‎war.”

View original Israel Hayom publication at:
http://www.israelhayom.com/2018/07/05/for-first-time-eu-officials-come-out-against-pa-%E2%80%8Eterrorists-stipends/