Justice Minister Orders Seizure of PA Money to Compensate Terror Victims

Interim Justice Minister Amir Ohana ordered the state’s collection agency on Monday night to seize 4.2 million shekels in assets from the Palestinian Authority as compensation for terror victims.

Although the government as a whole has made such moves in the past, especially temporarily freezing, transferring or deducting from customs tax revenues to the PA, this was the first time that a justice minister has acted to implement rulings of Israeli courts imposing on convicted terrorists payment to the victims.

Eight terrorists who were convicted of murder from 2014 to 2017 and ordered to pay compensation in addition to prison sentences were named in the decision.

Ohana said: “This legal-financial measure is important for the war on terror. The state of Israel has a paramount obligation to stand by the victims of terrorism, and it will do so…As long as the Palestinian Authority continues to pay compensation to terrorists and their families, we will continue to collect from them money to compensate the victims.”