Swedish Funding for Palestinian Terrorists

Our Swedish correspondent Freedom Fighter sends his translation of an op-ed decrying Sweden’s funding of salaries for Palestinian terrorists in Israeli prisons. He includes this brief note:

Surprise!

The major Swedish Daily newspaper Svenska Dagbladet wrote today in tough editorial that the Palestinian Government, the “Palestinian Authority”, are using Swedish aid money to support terrorism against Israel.

His translation from Svenska Dagbladet:

Swedish aid money going to support terror against Israel

Editorial by Per Gudmundson

On 13 April this year the Palestinian Authority announced a new law governing salary payments to terrorists and others in Israeli captivity. The Authority newspaper Al-Hayat Al-Jadida reported the new regulations in detail (15 / 4):

“Each prisoner is guaranteed a monthly salary, to be paid directly to him or his family, on condition that he is not already receiving a salary from any other authority” it said. “The minimum wage, to be paid from the first days of captivity, is 1400 shekels/month ( The shekel is Israeli the currency, 3.5 shekels = $1 ). Those who have been imprisoned from 3 to 5 years, 2000 shekels/month. From 5 up to 10 years they receive 4000 shekels a month. “After 30 years 12,000 a month. In addition, allowances for prisoners who are married, have children or who live inside Israel, plus legal fees, compensation for clothes, and grants for university studies in captivity. Furthermore released prisoners, who have been detained longer than five years, receive free or discounted training, and free health insurance.

“More than 30 million dollars a month is paid to the Palestinians and Israeli Arabs who have been imprisoned by Israel “as a result of participation in the struggle against the occupation”.

For example, the Hamas terrorist Abdullah Barghouti, who in 2004 confessed that he built the bombs that killed 66 people and injured 500 in a series of suicide bombings in 2001, receives 4000 shekels a month. After a further three years in captivity, his salary will be increased by 50 percent, and corresponds to more than double the wage for Palestinians in the regular labor market.

An average Palestinian prisoner gets 3129 shekels a month. An official in the Palestinian Authority earns 2882 shekels a month. Blowing up Israeli buses pays better than planning their own public transport system.

According to Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, prisoners account for 2.5 percent of the PA payroll with a further 3.5 percent is also going to take care of the surviving families of so-called martyrs.

Sweden is one of the largest donors to the Palestinians: around 700 million kroner per year ($100 million) is transferred through different channels to different projects. On August 11th, minister Gunilla Carlsson said, “Sweden this year will contribute a further 40 million crowns in direct aid to the Palestinian Authority to help the Palestinians to pay salaries.”

So it is we taxpayers (the Swedish taxpayers) who pay the terrorists’ salaries.

This is not acceptable. Sweden must have a greater say in how aid is used.