The Knesset was expected to vote Monday on proposed legislation that would slash funding to the Palestinian Authority as long as it continues to pay stipends to terrorists.
If passed, the bill would divert over 1 billion shekels ($276 million) from Palestinian Authority tax revenues – the total amount being used to pay terrorists and their families – to a designated fund to compensate terror victims and combat terrorism.
Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman submitted the bill, which was authored by the Defense and Justice ministries.
According to Defense Ministry data made public ahead of the Knesset vote, a number of terrorists now in prison are expected to receive more than 10 million shekels ($2.76 million) each from the Palestinian Authority over the course of their lifetimes. If a terrorist dies in prison, his or her family continues to receive the monthly payments from the Palestinian Authority.
Lieberman called on lawmakers to "put an end to this theater of the absurd" and vote in favor of the legislation.
"Every shekel that goes to the murderers will be deducted from the [Palestinian] Authority's tax revenues. We will stop funding terrorism," he said.
Yesh Atid MK Elazar Stern, who introduced similar legislation last year, said that "the reality in which the Israeli government transfers funds to the Palestinian Authority, which funds terrorist families and in this way actually encourages the next terrorist, is a reality that must be brought to an end as quickly as possible."
He said that if the Palestinian Authority "wants to continue to pay terrorists," it could so without Israel's assistance.
Michal Salomon, whose husband Elad was among three family members murdered in a terrorist attack on the Samarian community of Halamish last year, told the Walla news site that it was only after the attack that she came to understand that "those damn terrorists, who take innocent people's lives and destroy families, receive huge sums of money from the Palestinian Authority. We must put an end to this."
According to the Defense Ministry, the terrorist behind the Halamish attack now receives a monthly salary of NIS 12,200 shekels ($3,400) from the Palestinian Authority, so that by the age of 80, he will have been paid NIS 12.6 million ($3.48 million).
"Crime must not pay," Salomon said.
She said the state must utilize the tools at its disposal to deter terrorists, including the deportation of terrorists' families, the demolition of homes, and the implementation of the death penalty, as well as the legislation to divert tax funds.
Yael Shevach, whose husband, Rabbi Raziel Shevach, was murdered in Samaria in January, said she does not really believe anyone in the "government's ivory tower" actually wants to stop these atrocities.
"The preoccupation with this subject causes a great deal of frustration and bitterness as a result of the Israeli government's twisted policy over the years. The time has come for those at the top of Israel's defense establishments to change their perception and understand that terrorism exists now, too," she said.
"Unfortunately, they did not succeed in preventing my husband's murder. These tragedies will be repeated again and again if real action is not taken to prevent, God forbid, the next murder."
In a joint statement, the Choosing Life forum for bereaved families and the right-wing organization Im Tirzu decried the current state of affairs.
"A law must be legislated for such an obvious thing. The time has come to advance a deterrence package that will really prevent the next murder," it said.
"With the deduction of the salaries, we must also continue to push for a death penalty for terrorists, the demolition of terrorists' homes and the deportation of terrorists' families that support them.
"At this very moment, terrorists are serving time in prisons that may as well be five-star hotels and laughing at all of us. These steps should be taken immediately. … We will continue to fight to the best of our ability to prevent the next murder. We will ensure that the reality in which an industry exists that makes a living from the murder of Jews is brought to an end."
