Israel Deducts 258 Million Shekels from Palestinian "Clearing" Funds for the Benefit of Families of Its Casualties

SadaNews Translation - The Hebrew-speaking i24NEWS channel revealed on Wednesday morning that the Execution and Collection Authority in the Israeli Ministry of Finance has completed a large-scale operation in recent days to collect 258 million shekels from Palestinian Authority funds deposited with the ministry from clearing funds, for the benefit of the families of Israeli casualties.

It indicated that this comes in implementation of court rulings against Palestinians involved in attacks, as well as against the Palestinian Authority over the years, which have now been transferred to representatives of the families of the casualties in 125 different cases.

The Execution and Collection Authority is responsible for collecting debts based on court rulings, including compensations and disciplinary penalties imposed on Palestinians who carried out attacks.

The collection procedures from Palestinian prisoners serving long sentences are not easy; however, when the Palestinian Authority pays them compensations, these are subject to confiscation in relation to the attacks they have committed.

Following the confiscation operations imposed in enforcement cases on the funds of the Palestinian Authority related to armed attacks, 258 million shekels were recently transferred from the Ministry of Finance to the Enforcement Office in Jerusalem.

These large amounts have been distributed across 125 enforcement cases, which were opened based on the specified compensations in rulings issued by various courts, and have been completed in distribution to representatives of the families of Israeli casualties.

The funds collected from the confiscation of Palestinian Authority funds have been directed to law enforcement cases related to armed attacks, including the attack on Ben Yehuda Street in Jerusalem in 2001, which resulted in the deaths of 11 people. In this case, a ruling was issued in 2024 against the Palestinian Authority and the Palestine Liberation Organization, mandating compensations for damages to the victims' properties, in accordance with the "Victims of Terrorism" compensation law, amounting to 10 million shekels.

Another enforcement case was opened, to which funds were paid, to secure a ruling for compensation to the families of casualties following an attack that occurred in the Beit Israel neighborhood carried out by the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades in 2002, which resulted in the deaths of ten Israelis, including six children.

Funds were also transferred to families of Israelis killed along bus line number 32 at the Fat intersection in Jerusalem in 2002, which resulted in the deaths of 19 people and injuries to 74 others, as well as to families of casualties from an attack that took place at the Hillel cafe in Jerusalem in 2003, which killed seven Israelis and injured 57 others.

Funds were also transferred to families of casualties from an attack that occurred in 2002 at the Moment cafe in the Rehavia neighborhood of Jerusalem, which resulted in the deaths of 11 Israelis and injuries to 65 others, as well as to families of casualties from the 2001 attack on an Egged bus on line 16 in Haifa, which resulted in 15 deaths and 40 injuries.

Moreover, funds were transferred to families of casualties from the ramming attack on the Armon Hanatziv promenade, carried out by a Palestinian from the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Jabel Mukaber, and to families of casualties from the ramming attack that occurred in 2019 near the Dotan entrance, and families of the shooting attack at Aili gas station in 2023.

Additionally, funds from the confiscated money were allocated to families of casualties from the attack that took place on line 19 in Jerusalem in 2004, which was executed by a Palestinian police officer, resulting in the deaths of 11 Israelis and injuries to 44 others, and to families of the armed attack that targeted the Sarona market in Tel Aviv in 2016, carried out by two Palestinians, resulting in four deaths and 21 injuries.