Defense Minister Naftali Bennett signed a ministerial order on Wednesday that freezes hundreds of thousands of shekels in assets belonging to eight convicted terrorists and their families.
The terrorists in question are Israeli citizens convicted implicated in various attacks over some 20 years that left over 45 Israelis dead and many more wounded. Five are currently serving life sentences in prison.
Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter
The seizure order applies to the monthly stipends the terrorists receive from the Palestinian Authority, as well as stipends paid to their relatives or other beneficiaries.
This is the first time that Israel has taken direct action against the salaries paid to individual terrorists and their families, which it sees as a financial incentive for Palestinians to keep perpetrating acts of terrorism. More orders are expected to follow.
The order was signed after extensive preparatory work by the National Bureau for Counter Terror Financing (NBCTF) in the Defense Ministry in conjunction with the Shin Bet security agency, the Israel Police, the Israel Prison Service, and the Israel Money Laundering, and Terror Financing Prohibition Authority.
Bennett said that he intended to exert the full extent of his authority to stop the salaries the PA is paying terrorists and their families, a practice that has come to be known as "pay-for-slay."
"We have moved on to action. This is another step in our battle against terrorists. We are working so it will no longer be worthwhile to shed Jewish blood," Bennett said.
Earlier this month, Bennett imposed financial sanctions on a London-based terror suspect believed to have ties to Hamas. The decree he signed stated that any and all funds or assets paid or transferred to Mohammed Jamil Mahmoud Hersh, who works for a UK group affiliated with Hamas, would be seized.
