Palestinian Authority’s Continued Payments to Terrorists Must Be Exposed, Says Pro-Israel Group  

NEW YORK — The Israeli Foreign Ministry has sharply criticized the Palestinian Authority (PA) following reports that the PA continues financial payouts to incarcerated terrorists and the families of slain terrorists. A recent Israel Foreign Ministry social media post declared “Palestinian Authority continues its blood-money policy.”

“The Israeli government is correct for long condemning this “pay-for-slay” system,” stated Moshe Phillips, chairman of Americans for a Safe Israel (AFSI). “This is a direct incentive for violence against Israeli citizens. The men paying these terrorists are the very ones Chris Van Hollen and others seem to think are interested in leading a peaceful Palestinian State. The PA leadership is not interested in peace.”

According to reports verified by the Israeli NGO Palestinian Media Watch (PMW), the PA’s Ministry of Finance recently disbursed grants to three “fighting sectors”. These “sectors” include terrorists held in Israeli facilities, those operating in various regions, and the relatives of deceased terrorists.

The PA’s choice to prioritize funding for violent terrorists, including those that targeted families and their children, over civil infrastructure demonstrates a systemic refusal to abandon terrorism says AFSI.

“This entrenched pro-terrorism stance is highly unlikely to change, particularly given current Palestinian societal trends,” explained AFSI’s Phillips. “Jailed Fatah terrorist Marwan Barghouti—who is serving multiple life sentences in an Israeli prison for orchestrating deadly terror attacks during the so-called Second Intifada— received the highest number of votes in Fatah’s internal election earlier this month.” Fatah is the dominant political faction within the Palestinian Authority. “The persistent paying of Palestinian Arab terrorists and the political supremacy of a convicted terrorist leader like Barghouti reinforce a dangerous truth: the Palestinian political establishment remains deeply committed to honoring and rewarding violence,” stated Moshe Phillips, chairman of Americans for a Safe Israel (AFSI).