17-Aug-22: Blood money: The Sbarro terrorists and how it's working out for them

Source: PMW (Click to enlarge)

The central role played by money in enticing, inciting, incentivizing and rewarding Palestinian Arabs to kill and be killed doesn't get seen as the weighty and consequential factor it so clearly is.

Maurice Hirsch writing last week for Palestinian Media Watch, has compiled and published a valuable table of data that makes the point concrete.

In his August 9, 2022 post, "Blood money: The PA has already paid $1,421,940 to the terrorists who blew up the Sbarro pizza shop murdering 15 and injuring 130", he says

As a reward for carrying out the attack [on Jerusalem's Sbarro pizzeria for the Hamas terror organization], the Palestinian Authority pays a total of US$8,937 (27,800 shekels) each month to the 5 imprisoned terrorists and the families of the 3 dead terrorists who were involved in the attack. The current total paid to the terrorists is $1,421,940. The monthly payment to each terrorist will continue to rise the longer the terrorists are in prison.

It's clearly a reward. And like all rewards, particularly in the blighted, failed, chronically insolvent regimes suffering under the boots of Hamas and Fatah/PLO, cash is also a powerful incentive. 

Three of the Sbarro plotters remain, as of this writing, inside Israeli prison cells. The remainder are either dead or living free. For the dead, their families receive pensions as compensation. 

For those still alive, the monthly Palestinian Authority payments relieve them of further economic woes. It's an extraordinary situation for the two rival regimes that are utterly dependent on the generosity of other governments to enable them to do what governments are supposed to do.

Mahmoud Abbas presides over the Palestinian Authority

(Image Source)

And for millions of Palestinian Arabs, cheated by the kleptocrats who run their lives, the PA Rewards for Terror ("Pay2Slay") scheme is a bright shiny billboard, reminding them that murder pays. And that if you want to take care of those who depend economically on what you bring home, all is not lost. There's hope. 

In an analysis we published almost four years ago to the day of the cash rewards handed to the Sbarro plotters by the chronically-insolvent Palestinian Authority led by the despicable Mahmoud Abbas, we wrote here ["24-Aug-18: What aid funds handed to the Abbas regime ($1 million and growing) have done for savages who kill Jews"] that 

If there's outrage among Palestinian Arabs in whose name taxpayer-provided funds are donated so that killers can be rewarded, there's no sign of it at all. Quite the opposite...

And we went on to quote the still-accurate-today observations of Eli Lake in a July 1, 2016 article for Bloomberg ["The Palestinian Incentive Program for Killing Jews"]:

"[T]he prisoners and the families of the prisoners themselves are actually paid a higher wage than what most Palestinians earn for nonviolent work... [P]ayments to terrorists' families are exceedingly popular these days. Ziad Asali, the president and founder of the American Task Force on Palestine, told me that in recent years the media and politicians have elevated these payments to something "sacred in Palestinian politics." Asali said the Palestinian Authority president, Mahmoud Abbas, and others are too weak to stop it. "This is where we find ourselves now. The vast majority understand there has to be an end to violence; it's not serving the Palestinians in any way," Asali said. "But I think nobody really has the stature and clout to confront these issues publicly."

In the table below (alphabetical by surname), we have incorporated Adv. Hirsch's updated 2022 payments data with our own background and status report from 2018 on the men and women who murdered the innocents in the pizzeria that day. 

TERRORIST	BACKGROUND	STATUS	PMW 2022
Jamal Abu al-Hija	Headed Hamas’ military wing in the Samaria city of Jenin. In addition to his role in the Sbarro attack, he had direct involvement in the bombing of a full commuter bus traveling from Haifa to Tzefat at Meron Junction (9 killed, 38 injured, September 4, 2002). After being arrested and tried, he was sentenced to 9 life terms of life imprisonment plus 20 years.	For now, continues to reside in an Israeli prison cell.	Every month, the PA pays terroristJamal Abu Al-Hija 8,300 shekels ($2,668). Having now completed 20 years in prison, this month Abu Al-Hija’s will rise to 8,300 shekels from 7,300 shekels.
Qeis Adwan	Emerging as a popular leader in the student union of the notorious An Najah National University in Nablus (they honored the Sbarro bombers by erecting an on-campus replica of the destroyed pizzeria the month after the massacre), he became a senior manager in the Hamas terror hierarchy. Described by the New York Times as an "inventive bomb maker", he is said to have taken responsibility for the murdering of no fewer than 77 Israelis. He played a managerial role in several of the most savage Hamas atrocities including the Sbarro massacre, the bombing of the Nahariya railway station (3 killed, 94 injured, September 9, 2001), the Passover bombing of Netanya's Park Hotel (29 killed, 64 injured, March 27, 2002), and the bombing of the Arab-run Matza restaurant in Haifa (16 killed, 40 injured, March 31, 2002).	Permanently terminated by Israeli security forces in the northern Samaria city of Tubas on April 5, 2002.	Every month the PA pays the family of the dead terrorist Qeis Adwan 1,400 shekels ($450) per month.
Izz al-Din Shuheil al-Masri	The human bomb planted by Hamas in general and by Ahlam Tamimi in particular outside the Sbarro location. We described the circus-like spectacle of the very public funeral given to his remains here: "5-May-14: The making of a martyr: it takes more than a village". An extract from what we wrote: "Back in August 2001, starting just a day or two after the Sbarro massacre, al-Masri's father was 'marketed' to both the BBC and the Australian Broadcasting Corp as a lover of peace and as a worthy interview subject. We know this because both the [Australian] ABC and the [British] BBC approached us, astoundingly asking that we take part in double-headed interviews: on one side, the freshly-bereaved father [Arnold Roth] of a child blown up just a few days earlier by a human bomb; on the other, the parent of the human bomb himself. We declined both invitations with considerable puzzlement and anger. We soon had cause (as we wrote here) to wonder what kind of soul-less reporter thinks that sort of proposal is moral and professional. Are you reading this, Tim Palmer?"  Worth mentioning that reports of payments being made to al-Masri's parents have never been in serious doubt since his father, Shuhail Ahmed Al-Masri, comprehensively blurted out the facts in a television interview with NBC [archived here]. It's likely that the regular payments to the voluble, proud and honored al-Masri parents from Arab Bank were separate from and in addition to the Martyrs' Fund payment they presumably still get until today from the Palestinian Authority.	Permanently terminated when he pressed the detonator on his chest inside the pizzeria and the guitar case filled with nails and explosives did its horrible work.	Every month the PA pays the family of the terrorist suicide bomber, Izz Al-Din Al-Masri1,400 shekels ($450) per month.
Abdullah Jamal Barghouti	Manufactured the explosives-packed guitar case that al-Masri, the human bomb, carried into the pizzeria. We describe Barghouti and his egregious barbarism in this post: "1-Jul-13: 66 acts of murder make him a hero in parts of the Arab world. What does this tell us about parts of the Arab world?" He's "the self-confessed murderer of 66 people including 9 in the July 2002 bombing at the Frank Sinatra Cafeteria of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem; 11 in the March 2002 bombing of Jerusalem's Cafe Moment; 10 in the December 2001 triple-bomb outrage on Jerusalem’s Ben Yehuda pedestrian mall; and 15 (most of them children, including our 15 year old daughter Malki) in the August 2001 massacre at Jerusalem's Sbarro pizzeria in August 2001." His most famous quote: "I feel bad because the number is only 66. This is the answer you want to hear? Yes, I feel bad because I want more." [Quoted on a CBS site]. At his trial, evidence was produced to show that Barghouti's high-profile relative (nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize with the enthusiastic backing of Desmond Tutu, a South African church figure) Marwan Barghouti - a prominent Palestinian Arab political figure now himself serving several life sentences for murder - paid Abdullah Barghouti $500 build the bomb. This came on top of the $117,000 he received for his troubles from Hamas, according to evidence given to the court.	Currently serving a sentence of 67 terms of life imprisonment.	Every month, the PA pays terrorist Abdallah Barghouti 7,300 shekels ($2,347
Bilal Yaqub Barghouti	Recruiter and member of the Hamas cell and, according to Haaretz: “The senior Hamas activist behind the Sbarro restaurant bombing in Jerusalem, Bilal Barghouti, told interrogators that Marwan [Barghouti - the Nobel candidate] hid him for a few days while Israel was hunting for him and gave him a weapon when he left.” Convicted January 16, 2003 – sentenced to 16 terms of life imprisonment (see judgement), his only words to the court at the conclusion of his trial on terrorism charges, and this is a direct quote, were: "Thank God. I regret that I did not kill even more people than I did kill".	Still incarcerated in an Israeli prison cell	Every month, the PA pays terrorist Bilal Barghouti 8,000 shekels (USD 2,572). Having completed 20 years in prison, in April 2022, the PA raised the monthly salary it pays Barghouti to 8,300 shekels from 7,300 shekels.
Muhammad Wael Daghlas	Active member of the Sbarro attack team, taking a role in its planning and execution. Arrested April 9, 2001 and convicted on terror charges on January 16, 2003. Sentenced like Ahlam Tamimi and Bilal Barghouti to 16 life terms.	Released, like Ahlam Tamimi, in the 2001 Shalit Deal and now alive, unrepentant and completely free. Initially deported in the Shalit Deal to Turkey, reports say he currently resides in Qatar.	Every month the PA pays a certain amount to the terrorists Muhammad Daghlas and Ahlam Tamimi. While they were arrested and convicted for their part in the attack, these two terrorists were released in 2011, as part of the deal to secure the freedom of IDF soldier Gilad Shalit, who had been held captive by Hamas. While the PA Law of Prisoners and Released Prisoners, No. 19 of 2004 and regulations promulgated pursuant to the law, guarantee these terrorists a monthly salary, Palestinian Media Watch does not have information regarding the current amounts of these payments.
Ayman Adnan Muhammad Halawah	Also known as Iman Halaweh - a Hamas explosives expert. Took a lead role in the Sbarro assault, and was involved in other terror attacks on Israeli civilians including the March 28, 2001 attack on a group of boys waiting in the parking lot of the Neve Yamin gas station near Qalqilyah for a ride to their yeshiva in Kedumim (two were killed, one was critically wounded, another had moderate injuries) and the mass-casualty human bomb attack on the Tel Aviv beach Dolphinarium (June 1, 2001).	Never arrested. Passed away from violent causes on October 22, 2001 - one source [Dawn] suggests Israeli forces were involved.	Every month the PA pays the family of the dead terrorist Ayman Halawah 1,400 shekels ($450) per month.
Ahlam Aref Ahmad al-Tamimi	Since we have written literally hundreds of posts about this vicious embodiment of female savagery, we will be brief now. Born in Jordan in 1980; moved to Nabi Saleh, north of Jerusalem,  in about 1998 to live there with fellow members of the notorious Tamimi clan. Then to Ramallah, while attending a nearby university, working as a part-time reporter and becoming the first woman terrorist in the ranks of the Hamas Islamists. Masterminded the bombing of the Sbarro pizzeria after selecting it for the large number of Jewish children it attracted. Arrested September 14, 2001; convicted by an Israeli court on September 23, 2003. A 2006 report quotes Tamimi saying from her Israeli jail cell: "I'm not sorry for what I did. We'll become free from the occupation and then I will be free from prison." Sentenced to 16 terms of life imprisonment. Released October 2011 in the catastrophic Shalit Deal.	Freed in the Shalit Deal and "exiled" to where her parents and most of her siblings live: Amman, Jordan. She is there today, living with a husband, Nizar Tamimi, who is also an unrepentant murdering terrorist, in his case for Fatah, and their child. The husband also receives monthly payments from the Abbas regime. Ahlam Tamimi was added to the FBI's Most Wanted Terrorists list in March 2017; there is a $5 million prize for information leading to her arrest and conviction. She is not in hiding and for most of her years in Jordan she has been working in the service of Hamas, making a weekly TV program for them along with other special promotional appearsances. We are deeply into a campaign to have the US put real pressure on Jordan to extradite Tamimi under the 1995 Jordan/US Extradition Treaty. So far, Jordan has refused on grounds that we, and many of the experts we have considered, consider bogus and an embarrassment to Jordan's relations with the West.	Every month the PA pays a certain amount to the terrorists Muhammad Daghlas and Ahlam Tamimi. While they were arrested and convicted for their part in the attack, these two terrorists were released in 2011, as part of the deal to secure the freedom of IDF soldier Gilad Shalit, who had been held captive by Hamas. While the PA Law of Prisoners and Released Prisoners, No. 19 of 2004 and regulations promulgated pursuant to the law, guarantee these terrorists a monthly salary, Palestinian Media Watch does not have information regarding the current amounts of these payments.
Nizar Tamimi	Finally, the case of  Ahlam Tamimi’s cousin and since 2012 also her husband. Both husband and wife are unrepentant terrorist-murderers. Both walked free in the catastrophic Shalit Deal. And both are beneficiaries of the Palestinian Authority's disgraceful, foreign-funded Rewards for Terror scheme. They may be the only double-income terrorist family to qualify under the blood-soaked incentive scheme. Nizar Tamimi was convicted of the 1993 murder of Chaim Mizrachi, along with two other close Tamimi relatives. (Another member of the clan, Bassem Tamimi, father of media starlet Ahed Tamimi and uncle of Nizar, was also charged but released under strange circumstances.) Nizar Tamimi was sentenced to life in prison but released October 2011 in the Shalit Deal.	Nizar Tamimi now lives in Jordan with his wife Ahlam Tamimi and their family. How much has he earned from the Fatah/PA/PLO scheme so far? At least $92,057 from the time of his arrest until he walked free in the Shalit Deal. This is not included in the total on the PMW poster. What, if anything, did Nizar Tamimi earn from the PA in the nearly seven years after he walked free? The PMW experts say he would probably got a one-time release grant of $6,000 on top of the stipend he had been receiving during his 18 years behind bars. He would be entitled, as a released prisoner who served 15 to 20 years, to a privileged position and commensurate salary in the PA with the seniority of Colonel or higher. Calculating what this means in practice is complicated by the fact that he and his wife live in Jordan.	Not updated

The Tamimi couple - Ahlam and Nizar, cousins and spouses - may be the only beneficiaries of the Palestinian Authority Rewards for Terror incentive scheme ("Pay2Play") to make up a dual-income family unit.