The mother of Ezra Schwartz, an 18-year-old Massachusetts native killed in a Palestinian terror attack in 2015 during his gap year in Israel, spoke out at the United Nations Thursday against the Palestinian Authority’s payments to terrorists and their families.
“The terrorist who murdered our Ezra is receiving a monthly stipend from the Palestinian Authority,” Ruth Schwartz said. “Ezra’s murder broke our family. We will never be the same without him.”
Schwartz spoke during a special forum on the glorification of terrorism organized by Israeli Ambassador to the U.N. Danny Danon and StandWithUs, a pro-Israel education and advocacy group. Danon, who has been leading an effort at the U.N. against the PA’s terror payments, called the funds “blood money.”
“This is the PA’s prize money for terrorists who kill innocent civilians,” said Danon. “Foreign aid given to the PA by the international community is exploited by the Palestinians and used to support terrorism. The more they murder, the more they are paid.”
According to Danon, the PA last year dedicated nearly $130 million of its budget to paying imprisoned terrorists and paid another $175 million to the families of slain terrorists. The terror payments, Danon said, account for nearly 7 percent of the PA’s total annual budget and 30 percent of the foreign aid it receives.
“So many members of the Security Council, so many U.N. member states, are sending their people’s money to support terrorists,” said Danon. {eoa}
This article was originally published at JNS.org. Used with permission.
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