Under this law, the Palestinian Authority may be obligated to allocate nearly $3 million each month to the families of hundreds of individuals associated with Hamas who were involved in the deadly incident against Israel on October 7.
Israeli organization Palestinian Media Watch, which focuses on highlighting Palestinian extremism, including within its leadership, suggested in an article posted on its website that the Palestinian Authority, the governing body for Palestinians in the West Bank, could now be compelled to provide financial support to the families of the deceased terrorists and those currently in Israeli custody.
Itamar Marcus, director of Palestinian Media Watch, told Fox News Digital.”The Palestinian Authority pays salaries to every single terrorist and to anyone who is arrested fighting Israel,”
The Palestinian Authority’s payments, often referred to as “pay for slay,” have been consistently supported by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and his government. These payments apply to any Palestinian who is considered a martyr, regardless of their affiliation, including individuals associated with Hamas and Islamic Jihad.
Marcus added, “The Palestinian Authority has been adamant about paying these salaries.” He also said that these payments persist even as the Palestinian Authority has had to reduce salaries for all government employees due to an economic crisis in the Palestinian territories, leading to protests.
According to Lt. Col. (res) Shaul Bartal, a senior researcher at the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies at Bar Ilan University near Tel Aviv, it seems improbable that the Palestinian Authority would be able to secure the necessary funds to extend this policy to the families of such a significant number of terrorists. He said, “Right now, the PA does not have the money to pay them even if they wanted to, and Abbas has already said that what Hamas did does not represent the Palestinian people.”
However, Itamar Marcus did say that Gaza residents demanded compensation from the Palestinian Authority after the 2014 war between Israel and Hamas which resulted in a large number of Palestinians terrorists killed.
Abbas and the Palestinian Authority have faced strong criticism for these payments, which consist of an initial bonus in the first month followed by a monthly stipend that progressively increases over time.
Bassem Eid, a Palestinian human rights activist and political analyst, told Fox News digital, “In my opinion, the Palestinian Authority is using this policy to encourage more terror against Jews and Israelis. The international community knows this money is going to terror via the Palestinian Authority, but they continue to accept it.”
Eid, however, did express his doubts that Abbas would “allocate funds to support Hamas militants” in the wake of this month’s attack. He suggested that it was more probable for Hamas to directly reward its own fighters.
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