Rabbi Leo Dee, a British citizen whose wife and two daughters were killed in a terrorist attack in the West Bank in April 2023, has accused the Labour Party of hypocrisy for sanctioning Israeli settlement goods while failing to address the Palestinian Authority's "pay-for-slay" system.
Rabbi Dee, 54, stated that the Palestinian government provides financial rewards to the families of terrorists, including those responsible for the deaths of his wife, Lucy, 48, and daughters Maia, 20, and Rina, 15. He highlighted that these payments are made for life and are intended as a reward for carrying out attacks.
This criticism comes after the UK government, led by Prime Minister Andy Burnham and Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband, imposed trade restrictions on products from Israeli settlements. Rabbi Dee argued that this policy targets "Jewish Israelis like me" and constitutes economic punishment. He contrasted this with the lack of action against what he described as the "notorious pay-for-slay system" that he believes encourages and finances Palestinian terrorism.
"The PM and Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband sanctioned illegal Israeli settlements' goods over a deeply controversial project that risks killing off any hope of a two-state solution," Rabbi Dee wrote. "But they did not even mention the 'pay for slay' policy that encourages and finances extremist Palestinian terrorism in the West Bank that is arguably just as big a block to peace."
Rabbi Dee, who resides in Efrat, described himself as potentially the British citizen most directly affected by what he considers misguided British policies toward Israel and Palestinians over the past 25 years. He noted that his wife, Lucy, an Oxford graduate, and his daughters, Maia and Rina, who were educated in Britain, were murdered by Palestinian terrorists in the Jordan Valley. Since their deaths, their killers' families have been eligible for payments under the Palestinian Authority's system.
He also pointed to international funding, including British support for the Palestinian Authority and UNRWA, as contributing to an environment where terrorist organizations have flourished. Rabbi Dee questioned the government's decision to boycott products from Jewish businesses in Judea and Samaria, calling it discriminatory.
Rabbi Dee's intervention follows a warning from Britain's Chief Rabbi, Sir Ephraim Mirvis, who condemned the Foreign Secretary's trade restrictions. Sir Ephraim accused Miliband of fueling "mendacious anti-Israel rhetoric" that could endanger Jewish people. However, Miliband, identifying as a "proud British Jew," stated on Sky News that he disagreed with the Chief Rabbi.
Rabbi Dee's wife and daughters were killed in an ambush while driving to Tiberias for a holiday, six months prior to the October 7th attacks. Their killers' families are reportedly receiving payments through the Palestinian Authority's policy. Rabbi Dee has offered to debate the issue with Burnham at any time, asserting that the policy is discriminatory.
He emphasized the moral distinction between deaths occurring during terrorist attacks, armed clashes, and Israeli security operations, and a government system that financially rewards convicted terrorists and their families. Quoting the late Chief Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks, Rabbi Dee suggested that while criticizing or boycotting Israel is not inherently antisemitic, singling out Israel for standards applied to no other country can be.