Did Abbas Agree To Pay Stipends To The Families of Terrorists?
An earlier post of mine reported this, but then I drew back, in the absence of any confirmation from ‘major’ media outlets. The Wall Street Journal, however, repeats the allegation in a piece by Tom Gross, former Middle East correspondent for the London Sunday Telegraph and the New York Daily News:
On the very day that five Israelis were murdered and over 60 injured outside a shopping mall in the coastal city of Netanya earlier this month, the official Palestinian newspaper Al-Hayat Al-Jadida reported that Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas had approved fresh financial assistance to the families of suicide bombers. The family of each “martyr” will now receive a monthly stipend of at least $250 — a not inconsiderable amount for most Palestinians. Altogether, the families of these so-called martyrs and of those wounded in terrorist attempts or held in Israeli jails might receive $100 million, according to Al-Hayat Al-Jadida.
It’s a serious charge, and the account of Gross is so similar to the previous one that it appears to refer to the earlier sources. I still await further independent reporting or confirmation before I’m truly comfortable with it; if anyone comes across another source, either confirming or refuting the story, I’d appreciate a heads-up…
It struck me as rather strange that not a single Israeli paper took up the story, given that they have correspondents who actually read and speak Arabic (unlike Tom Gross).
If you do a Google search, you’ll find this story all over the rightwing blogosphere, but not in a single reputable news outlet of any stripe.
Won’t be the first time, though …
Yes, I fully agree (not with your little dig there at the end – shame on you!) – but that it is odd that no Israel paper has had a story – I still feel like there are too many qualities of the urban legend to embrace it as the truth yet…
Jacques, what in your mind do you consider to be a “reputable news outlet” these days? The answer no doubt will be quite illuminating…
On this subject? Haaretz and the Jerusalem Post.
What about you? Little Green Footballs and NewsMax?
Jacques – I actually think those two sources are trustworthy – The International Herald – Tribune and The Economist can be good sources as well, particularly regarding European affairs.
I’ve never read NewsMax, but once in awhile LGF comes up with some credible stuff – the forged Guard memo and The Gomery Inquiry were true investigative pieces that were vetted by 3rd party sources throughout their storylines.
I also go to Kausfiles and Poynter online to read views from the Left hand side of the spectrum. Used to go to Sullivan and Kos, but couldn’t take it after awhile – their stuff is as ridiculous these days as Freeper.