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The High Court of Justice has ruled that the Palestinian Authority can be held liable for terrorist acts, due to its controversial policy of paying stipends to prisoners in Israeli jails and to the families of those killed during attacks on Israelis.
The PA’s practice of paying terror stipends — often referred to as a pay-for-slay policy — has been pilloried by critics for incentivizing terrorism.
The Palestinian Authority tried to hide its payment of terrorists salaries in 2020, but we've found them.
It's time the international community demanded clear reporting from the PA on its spending, rather than putting up with cheap accounting tricks. https://t.co/rHk98n3ZDM
— Pal Media Watch (@palwatch) February 22, 2021
The United States has pressured Ramallah to end the policy in recent years. In 2018, Congress passed legislation banning Washington from sending aid to the PA until it ended the practice. The matter remains a key bone of contention between the two sides.
The plaintiffs in the case to the High Court are four families who lost loved ones in four separate terror attacks during the Second Intifada some 20 years ago. The Jerusalem District Court rejected their petition, but the High Court ruled in their favor.
The case will now be returned to the Jerusalem District Court, which will determine the compensation owed to the four by the PA.
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Joint List party leader Aymen Odeh doubled down on his call for Arab Israelis to not to serve in Israel’s security forces by also urging Jews to refuse to do so.
Odeh caused outrage on Sunday when he said that Arab Israelis serving in security forces were “humiliating” their own people, and called on them to throw down their weapons and quit.
Odeh, in a Ramadan video posted from the Damascus Gate in Jerusalem’s Old City, also said that his ultimate goal was to see the Palestinian flag flying over Jerusalem.
Damascus Gate has been the scene of near-daily clashes between Palestinians and the Israel Police since the start of the Muslim holy month.
Odeh’s original remarks, which specifically referred to Arabs serving inside Israel’s pre-1967 borders, sparked calls to investigate him for inciting violence as the country is facing the deadliest wave of terror attacks in years.
Public Security Minister Omer Bar Lev called Odeh’s statements “outrageous, dangerous and irresponsible.”
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Foreign Minister Yair Lapid has appointed the first Special Envoy for Combating Antisemitism and the Delegitimization of Israel, naming Israeli American artist and author Noa Tishby to the position.
Making the announcement in Jerusalem, Lapid said: “The creation of this post and the appointment of Tishby is another step that will strengthen Israel and our fight against antisemitism internationally at a moment when Jews around the world once again face an alarming and dramatic resurgence in antisemitism.”
Tisbhy is charged with raising awareness of delegitimization efforts against Israel, advocating against hate towards Jews and spearheading initiatives worldwide, according to the Foreign Ministry.
In 2011, Tishby founded Act for Israel, an online advocacy organization. In 2021, she wrote “Israel: A Simple Guide to the Most Misunderstood Country on Earth.” The ministry described her as “a leading voice in the United States and abroad” in fighting antisemitism and anti-Israel delegitimization efforts.
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In advance of the upcoming Passover holiday, the National Library of Israel (NLI) is making some of the world’s most admired, rare, and valuable editions of the Haggadah available for download online.
The NLI, located in Jerusalem, holds over 15,000 copies of the Haggadah from various time periods and Jewish communities and denominations.
“The National Library of Israel works tirelessly to make sure that our vast collection gets out of the ivory tower and out into the public,” commented Dr. Yoel Finkelman, curator of the Haim and Salomon Judaica Collection, adding: “Making these Haggadot freely available for use at anybody’s seder, the NLI fulfills its mission as the Library of the State of Israel and the Jewish people.”
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