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Iran offers financial reward to families of Palestinian terrorists
Iran’s Ambassador to Lebanon yesterday announced that Tehran is to offer around £5,000 to the families of Palestinian terrorists killed while attacking Israelis.
Ambassador Mohammad Fathali spoke at a press conference in Beirut, alongside leaders of several Palestinian factions, including Hamas’s foreign relations chief, Osama Hamdan. Fathali said, “Iran announces the provision of financial aid to families of Palestinian martyrs who were killed in the ‘Jerusalem intifada.’” The current wave of violence, which has seen at least 31 Israelis killed in near-daily attacks by Palestinians since the start of October, was initially centred on Jerusalem and in particular the Temple Mount which is holy to both Jews and Muslims.
Fathali called on all Muslim countries to unite around the Palestinians, declaring that “the martyrs’ blood will release the entire Palestine, from the [Jordan] river to the [Mediterranean] sea.” Fathali also said that Iran would hand around £21,500 to each family of terrorists, whose home is demolished by Israeli authorities. It is thought that such demolitions act as a deterrent to future would-be terrorists.
Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations (UN) Danny Danon sent a letter to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon demanding that he condemn Fathali’s announcement. Danon said, “If the UN is really interested in bringing calm to our region, they must cut off the flow of Iranian financial support of terrorism.” Iran has long been the major backer of terrorist group Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, providing weapons, training and finance. It is estimated that Hezbollah has an arsenal of around 100,000 rockets aimed at Israel. Recent reports also indicate that Tehran is rebuilding close relations with Hamas, after a disagreement regarding the Syrian Civil War.
Also yesterday, Israel’s Defence Minister Moshe Ya’alon warned during a visit to Cyprus that Iran is building an international terror network, including “sleeper cells” gathering intelligence, arms and operatives readying for future attacks in Europe and the United States.