Independent revises article on PA’s terror incentive scheme

An article in the Independent by Mid-East correspondent Bel Trew (“Israel’s Gantz hosts Palestinian leader Abbas to discuss ‘confidence-building’ measures”, Dec. 29) included the following:

Israel has withheld funds over the PA’s giving of stipends to thousands of families that have had relatives killed, wounded or imprisoned in the conflict, a move which Israel says is funding terrorism.

In a post we published about the Indy article last week, we noted that the PA program Trew misleadingly characterises as some sort of social welfare program for needy Palestinian families is, in fact, a PA policy of paying salaries to imprisoned Palestinian terrorists – the majority of whom targeted Israeli civilians in their attacks.  Israel “says” it is “funding terrorism” because the primary recipients of the program are indeed terrorists in Israeli prisons – a scheme known as ‘Pay to Slay’.

After communication with Indy editors, they upheld our complaint, revised the sentences to note that PA payments also go to current and former security prisoners – and added the following editor’s note added:

The correction is far from perfect, but, based on our communication with the Indy, we’re confident that future reports won’t elide these basic facts about the PA’s terror incentive scheme.

In a separate issue, editors at the British Muslim news site 5 Pillars also recently amended an article following our complaint. The piece initially omitted the fact that a Palestinian prisoner who recently agreed to end a hunger strike is suspected of being affiliated with the terror group, Palestinian Islamic Jihad.

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