Israeli communities in the West Bank are, perhaps, one of the media’s favorite talking points. In the first quarter of 2023 alone, 18 top-tier news websites produced over 500 articles that raised the issue, blaming much of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict almost solely on Jewish settlers and settlements.
However, as a result of this incessant fixation on “bricks over blood,” journalists have all too often overlooked Palestinian steps that jeopardize future negotiations and breach signed agreements between the two sides.
Case in point: On March 15, 2023, Hebrew media reported that the Western-backed Palestinian Authority (PA) had authorized the construction of a luxury village intended for convicted terrorists only. The new settlement will be built near Ofra in Area B of the West Bank, where the PA has civilian control but the Israel Defense Forces maintain security.
According to a report on Israel’s Channel 14:
In the past weeks, work has started to build a luxury neighborhood for terrorists who have spent at least five years in Israeli prison… The Arab organization behind the project is called ‘Al-Karamah Housing Cooperative for Detainees,’ whose members are Palestinians who have spent at least five years in Israeli jail for [their] involvement in terrorism. On its executive board, one can find family members of terrorists like Abla Saadat, the wife of PFLP Secretary-General Ahmad Sa’adat, and Naim Al-Sharif, the father of Hamas terrorist Imad Al-Sharif.
The project in the West Bank reportedly consists of 100 spacious freestanding homes, described by some local reporters as “the dream of every murderer of Israelis.” From their garden, the released prisoners will have a view of the British Police Junction on Road 60, where a Palestinian terrorist, in 2002, killed ten Jews using a Nazi sniper rifle.
וכך הבתים יראו לאחר שייבנו. חלומו של כל רוצח ישראלים נאלח.
ראש מועצת בנימין ישראל גנץ: “לצערנו, תפיסת הבטחון הכללית שמובילים הקצינים הבכירים לא תואמת את האיומים. משימת בלימת הטרור גדולה בהרבה ממרדף אחרי כלי נשק אלא כוללת יד ברזל נגד מחוללי הטרור ברשות הפלסטינית” pic.twitter.com/63i7jqMWRi
— חנן גרינווד (@hanan_green) March 15, 2023
Palestinian officials, who are allegedly in direct contact with the construction company, verified the details of the project to Channel 12. Documents posted to Al-Karamah’s Facebook page also confirm that the PA has given its official stamp of approval, with Ramallah referring to the neighborhood as the “prisoners project.” Other supporters include the Arab Fund for Development in Africa and the Islamic Development Bank.
While Palestinians have a right to advance building projects in Area B, Ramallah’s apparent nod to anti-Israeli terrorism could very well run afoul of its commitment to fight terrorism and incitement under the 1990s Oslo Accords, the cornerstone of the bilateral peace process. Among other legal obligations, the PA undertook to “combat systematically and effectively terrorist organizations and infrastructure,” as well as “foster mutual understanding and tolerance.”
Mind you: under the PA’s “pay-for-slay” program that doles out “salaries” to incarcerated terrorists, Palestinians who serve jail time in Israel already receive a significant monthly allowance, in addition to numerous other financial rewards. As pointed out by Palestinian Media Watch, in some instances, the salary paid to released terrorists is equivalent to that of a government minister.
It appears that Palestinian terrorists, once given their freedom, will be further rewarded with a “slay-to-stay” benefit in their plush new neighborhood.
Seemingly, not all “obstacles to peace” are created equal.
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