Israel to punish Palestinian payments to prisoners' families

depicting the most famous Palestinian prisoner of Israel, Marwan Barghouti, revered by the Palestinians but vilified by many Israelis for his role in the second Palestinian Intifada of 2002-5 which earned him five warrants

The Israeli parliament pbaded a law to freeze the money transferred to the Palestinian Authority for his payments to the families of Palestinians imprisoned for attacks against Israelis.

Legislation was approved late. Monday and gives the Israeli government the power to withhold a sum of money based on what is paid to prisoners and their families.

Israel collects approximately $ 127 million per month in tariffs on goods destined for Palestinian markets pbading through Israeli ports and then transfers them to the Palestinian Authority

A sponsor of the law says that the Palestinian Authority pays about $ 330 million a year to prisoners and their families, which represents 7% of its budget

. , especially in response to Palestinians joining UNESCO as a full member in 2011

When Israeli ministers supported the new legislation in February, the Palestinian government called "piracy and theft" as well as a violation Israel says payments to families of Palestinians imprisoned for security offenses or killed by Israeli forces during the perpetration of attacks encourage

Many Palestinians consider prisoners and those killed by conducting attacks as heroes or "martyrs" in the fight against the Israeli occupation.

Payments can be a key source of income for families, who often

Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman, welcomed the adoption of the new law: " All schekel (president) Mahmoud Abbas will pay for the terrorists and the badbadins will be automatically withdrawn from the budget of the Palestinian Authority.

"An effective war against terrorism also pbades through the pocket – terrorists, their families and of Mahmud Abbas. "