Conservative MPs condemned the Palestinian Authority’s (PA) “abhorrent” salaries to terrorist prisoners and raised concerns about the UK’s aid to the Palestinians during International Development Questions in the House of Commons this week.
In a question to the Middle East Minister, Andrew Rosindell MP said that “last year the Palestinian Authority reportedly paid more than £250 million in monthly salaries to terrorists in Israeli prisons, which is worth 7% of their budget and an astonishing 50% of their foreign aid receipts”.
The MP for Romford underlined that “those salaries directly reward terrorism” and asked the Minister whether he agreed “those payments are abhorrent and must cease?”
Minister for the Middle East, Rt. Hon. Alistair Burt MP said in response: “We have made constant representations to Palestinian authorities about the impact of any incitement to terror and payments to terror. The Palestinian authorities are well aware of our views and opinions on this matter”.
CFI Parliamentary Chairman in the House of Commons, Rt. Hon. Stephen Crabb MP, asked the Minister whether he agreed that while the agreement between the Palestinian Authority and Hamas to resume electricity supplies too Gazans “is to be welcomed”, the “key to resolving the infighting and improving the lives of all Gazans is the disarmament of Hamas and the renunciation of terror and violence?”
Minister Burt asserted that “one cannot take the situation in Gaza away from the administration of Hamas and their failure to resolve issues in relation to Israel and to meet the Quartet principles”.
MP for Harrow, Bob Blackman, asked the Middle East Minister “what representations has he made to UNRWA to make sure that it conforms to what the US Government wish to see, so that the funding can be restored?”
The Minister replied stating that he had spoken with US officials in relation to the matter.
Click here to read the exchanges in full.
