Hosni Najar, a Palestinian Authority (PA) terrorist who is serving time in an Israeli jail, told police that he planned a terror attack in order to be caught and arrested by Israel, and thus gain a monthly salary from the PA, which rewards terrorists jailed by Israel.

Palestinian Media Watch (PMW) obtained a copy of Najar’s testimony to police. In it, he explains that the sums he received as salary from his first stint in jail – for planning shooting attacks and suicide bombings that were eventually foiled – was only 45,000 shekels. However, he calculated that his second period in jail will leave him with 135,000 shekels. “This way I will pay my debts,” he explained.

The testimony confirms PMW’s claim, that the PA policy of paying high salaries to terrorists during their incarceration in Israeli jails and after their release, not only rewards terror activity, but is also an incentive for carrying out terror.

The terrorist was well versed in the way the PA pays jailed terrorists. He explained to police that according to PA law, terrorists who served more than five years in jail receive a 4,000 shekel monthly salary for three years after their release, on top of the salary that they receive during their jail time. Najar said that his first incarceration did not last five years, and so he was not eligible for the three years of payments. His goal in planning the second attack was to reach an accumulative incarceration of at least five years, and thus be eligible for the added sums.

“After my release… I had a bank account with 45,000 shekels, the salary from the Palestinian Ministry of Prisoners… and I was 30,000 short for the wedding costs… I decided to set up some imaginary plan with the Israeli Shin Bet so that I would get arrested… after I have five years [jail time] I will receive about 4,000 shekels’ salary [after the release] and this sum will last for three years. In other words, there will be an amount of 135,000 shekels and so I will cover my debts.”

PMW’s Itamar Marcus and Nan Jacques Zilberdik note that the actual sum Najar can expect to receive is 144,000 shekels, and that he is already receiving a monthly salary, since PA law determines that the salary is paid to a prisoner from the day he is arrested.