PMW on Red Cross terror connection
Red Cross visits linked to Hamas prisoners' salaries
Under Palestinian law, a prisoner's salary from the PA is only activated after a Red Cross visit confirms the individual is indeed in custody.
In recent days, Israel's Supreme Court held a hearing on whether Red Cross representatives should be allowed to visit members of Hamas's elite Nukhba force currently imprisoned in Israel.
A lesser-known but significant detail was highlighted by Itamar Marcus, director of the research institute Palestinian Media Watch. According to Marcus, visits by the Red Cross are a critical trigger for the payment of salaries to imprisoned terrorists by the Palestinian Authority (PA).
"For years we've been warning that Israel's policy of allowing Red Cross visits to security prisoners has a direct consequence: it enables payments to convicted terrorists," said Marcus. "These payments are banned under Israeli law as they constitute financial support for terrorism."
Marcus explained that under Palestinian law, a prisoner's salary from the PA is only activated after a Red Cross visit confirms the individual is indeed in custody. Following that visit, the prisoner designates an account for the salary by signing a power of attorney form, provided by the Red Cross representative. "This entire process is laid out in Palestinian legislation. A 2010 document explicitly states that Red Cross confirmation is essential for activating these payments," he said.
When asked whether members of the Nukhba unit had been receiving salaries during the war, Marcus clarified that the PA made temporary changes to its procedures. "During the conflict, the Palestinian Authority suspended the requirement for ongoing Red Cross follow-up visits, which are usually necessary for continued salary payments. But they did not suspend the rule requiring an initial visit to trigger the first payment, likely to prevent fraudulent claims by those pretending to be imprisoned family members."
He added: "The Prisoners' Office even announced that certain procedures would be eased during the war, but not the requirement for the initial Red Cross visit."
As a result, Marcus argues, allowing these visits effectively enables Hamas terrorists to start receiving their salaries. When asked whether this concern was raised during the Supreme Court hearing, Marcus replied: "Unfortunately, no one brought it up."
He emphasized that the Israeli government should take this matter seriously: "The government must read Palestinian law and present this to the Supreme Court. Requiring Red Cross visits facilitates prohibited payments to terrorists, which would put the state in direct violation of its own laws against supporting terrorism."