Palestinian Authority Continues ‘Pay for Slay’ Payments Despite Budget Deficit
Despite operating at a 172% budget deficit, the Palestinian Authority (PA) has recognized 899 new prisoners from Gaza and tens of thousands more Gaza ‘martyrs’ as eligible for controversial ‘pay for slay’ payouts. According to a report by Palestinian Media Watch (PMW), the PA is committing to paying over 60 million shekels (USD 16.2 million) monthly to 9,750 terrorist prisoners. Stipends for ‘martyrs’ will take longer to process.
Israel claims these payouts incentivize terror attacks. PMW founder Itamar Marcus questioned the PA’s budget priorities, noting that public sector workers have not received full salaries for two years, yet stipends to imprisoned terrorists continue in full.
PA Prime Minister Muhammad Mustafa announced an increase in the World Bank’s annual grant to Ramallah from $70 million to $300 million. PMW’s report follows a PA petition to Israel’s High Court to reverse legislation allowing victims of Palestinian terror to claim financial compensation from the PA. Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara criticized the PA’s policy of paying terrorists.
PMW also found that the PA recognizes 578 new ‘martyrs’ in Judea and Samaria and 38,983 ‘martyrs’ in Gaza since October 7. Families of these ‘martyrs’ are eligible for a one-time grant of 6,000 shekels (USD 1,640) and a monthly allowance for life of 1,400 shekels (USD 382). The PA allocates 7% of its annual budget to the ‘Martyr’s Fund,’ which provides stipends to terrorists and their families.
The issue gained attention after the murder of Taylor Force, a U.S. citizen killed by a Palestinian in 2018. The Taylor Force Act halted U.S. aid to the Palestinians as long as terror stipends are paid. U.S. assistance resumed under President Joe Biden, but American victims of Palestinian terror filed a lawsuit in December 2022 against the President and Secretary of State Antony Blinken, arguing that the payments violate the Taylor Force Act.
Doubts Revealed
Palestinian Authority -: The Palestinian Authority (PA) is a group that helps govern parts of the West Bank and Gaza Strip, areas where many Palestinians live.
Pay for Slay -: ‘Pay for Slay’ is a term used to describe payments made by the PA to families of people who have committed violent acts, often against Israelis.
Budget Deficit -: A budget deficit happens when a government spends more money than it earns. In this case, the PA is spending a lot more than it has.
Terrorist Prisoners -: These are people who have been jailed for committing acts of terrorism, which means they did violent things to scare or hurt others.
Gaza Martyrs -: In this context, ‘martyrs’ refers to people from Gaza who died, often in conflicts with Israel, and are honored by the PA.
Stipends -: Stipends are regular payments made to someone. Here, the PA gives money to families of prisoners and martyrs.
Taylor Force -: Taylor Force was an American who was killed in a terrorist attack in Israel. His death led to the creation of the Taylor Force Act.
Taylor Force Act -: This is a U.S. law that stops American financial aid to the PA if they continue ‘Pay for Slay’ payments.
President Biden -: Joe Biden is the current President of the United States. He resumed U.S. aid to the PA, which some people think goes against the Taylor Force Act.
Lawsuit -: A lawsuit is when someone takes legal action against another person or group. Here, a lawsuit argues that giving U.S. aid to the PA breaks the Taylor Force Act.