Tuesday, October 6, 2015

Report: Palestinian prisoners paid for killing Israelis

No condemnation by the "international community" is expected.
(AP) Israel Radio says it has obtained official Palestinian government documents confirming hundreds of thousands of dollars in payments to prisoners convicted in some of the deadliest attacks on Israelis.

Tuesday's report comes after days of violent clashes and repeated Israeli accusations of Palestinian incitement to violence.

Palestinians have long acknowledged paying support to the families of prisoners held by Israel, but payments personally to prisoners convicted in deadly attacks have never been made public.

Israel Radio claims the documents show the hefty sums given to those serving multiple life sentences in Israeli prisons. They include Hamas militants behind suicide bombings that killed dozens of Israelis.

Ashraf al-Ajrami, a former Palestinian minister for prisoners, confirmed the report, saying the prisoners are "heroes" and the money is for their families.