TEL AVIV — The Palestinian Authority has been paying hundreds of
Palestinian insurgents to halt attacks against Israel.
Israeli military sources said the PA has been paying up to $200 a month
to insurgents wanted by Israel for attacks against military and civilian
targets in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Most of the beneficiaries were
identified as members of the ruling Fatah movement.
The money to the insurgents stemmed from Western aid to improve PA
security, the sources said. They said the arrangement began in late 2004 and
supported by the European Union and United States.
In many cases, the sources said, the insurgents took the money from the
PA and continued to attack Israel. They said the insurgents often received
money simultaneously from the PA as well as from Hizbullah, which has
offered bonuses for lethal strikes against Israeli targets.
Majdi Amar was cited as an example of a Fatah insurgent who received PA
funding to end attacks on Israel. The 31-year-old fighter from Fatah's Al
Aqsa Martyrs Brigades operated in the Nablus area of the West Bank and had
been wanted by Israel.
The PA refused to arrest Amar, the sources said. Instead, the PA paid
Amar between 400 and 700 shekels [$155] per month in exchange for a pledge
to end attacks on Israel. They said Amar took the money while planning new
Hizbullah-financed attacks on Israel. Amar was captured by Israel in October
2005.
The sources estimated that at least 700 insurgents were receiving money
from the PA to halt attacks against Israel. The PA has also absorbed nearly
5,000 insurgents in the security forces.
