by Itamar Marcus and Maurice Hirsch, Adv.
The Israeli government announced Tuesday that Assam Barghouti was captured and arrested Tuesday morning. Barghouti is suspected of participating in the murder of four-day-old Amiad Ish-Ran and IDF soldiers Staff Sergeant Yuval Mor Yosef and Sergeant Yosef Cohen, the critical injury of a third soldier and a fourth civilian in one attack, and the wounding of numerous others.
According to Palestinian Authority law and regulations, since he was arrested by Israel for his “participation in the struggle against the occupation,” Barghouti is entitled to a monthly salary from the PA of NIS 6,000. According to PA law, his salary will increase over time to NIS 12,000 per month.
Barghouti’s starting ‘prison salary’ is higher than most other terrorist prisoners, since he has already spent 11 years in prison for past involvement in terrorism. During his first term in prison, Barghouti received an estimated cumulative sum of NIS 447,000.
Additionally, according the PA law and regulations, upon his release, Barghouti was also entitled to a $6,000 one-time release grant and a guaranteed salary paid by the PA even if he did not work.
Assam Barghouti is not the only baby killer that receives a monthly salary from the PA.
Other recipients include:
* Amjad and Hakim Awad, murderers of the five members of the Fogel Family — parents and 3-month old-Hadas, four-year-old Eldad and a third child in March 2011 — and have already cumulatively received 460,800 shekels ($132,895);
* Abdullah Barghouti who built six bombs used by suicide terrorists including the bomb that exploded in the Sbarro pizza shop in August 2001 murdering 15 people, among them two year-old Hemda Schijveschuurder, and who has already received 695,200 shekels ($200,496); and
* Majdi Za’atri who planned the August 2003 Jerusalem bus bombing, in which 23 people were murdered, including one year-old babies Shmuel Zargari and Shmuel Taubenfeld, and who has already received 661,800 shekels ($190,863).
Assam Barghouti was arrested on suspicion of carrying out the Ofra shooting attack together with his brother Saleh Barghouti, and the Givat Assaf junction shooting attack with another terrorist.
Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah faction was quick to glorify murderer Saleh Barghouti immediately after he was killed in an attempted arrest.
In addition to the salary the PA will pay to Assem Barghouti, it will also pay a NIS 1,400 monthly lifetime salary to the family of his brother, Saleh Barghouti since he was killed as a “Martyr.”
The PA’s payment of salaries to Palestinian Authority terrorist prisoners, released prisoners and the families of so-called “Martyrs” (together known as the PA’s ‘Pay for Slay’ policy), was the subject of both U.S. and Israeli legislation in 2018.
According to the Israeli legislation, the Minister of Defense must submit an annual report to the Security Cabinet which details the amounts the PA paid to the terrorist prisoners, released prisoners and families of the so-called Martyrs. Israel will then deduct the PA expenditure from the taxes that Israel collects and transfers to the PA. The first such report is expected in the coming days.