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Sunday, April 9, 2017

How The Palestinians Deal With The Peace Process

Much has been happening in the Middle East in recent days.  One event which has been lost in the background is a change by the Palestinian Authority.  The PA today announced that it is raising the amount it pays monthly to the families of what it calls "martyrs".  In the parlance of the PA, martyrs are people who are killed in the middle of committing an act of terrorism directed at Israel.  The gunman who shoots at police in Jerusalem is a martyr.  The man who stabs tourists at a holy site before being slain by the police is a martyr.  The person who plants a bomb in a pre-school building only to be shot while fleeing is a martyr.  The Palestinian Authority has long given a pension to the surviving families of those it calls martyrs.  Now, the amount is to be raised.

It's worth remembering that a large portion of the budget of the PA comes from foreign aid received from the USA and other countries.  Should American dollars really be going to provide pensions for the families of terrorists?  No matter what one thinks of the dispute between Israel and the Palestinians, should America subsidize the use of terrorist tactics by anyone?  For me, the clear answer is NO!

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