Israel slams Palestinian 'deception scheme' over claim it halted terror rewards program

JERUSALEM—The president of the Palestinian Authority (PA) seemingly capitulated to the Trump medication by claiming to scrap its long-standing programme known arsenic "pay for slay," which provides payments to Palestinian terrorists and their families.

There are, however, conflicting reports astir whether the PA ended the programme oregon is trying to hoodwink the Trump administration. 

Israel's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Oren Marmorstein released a connection connected X saying, "This is simply a caller deception strategy by the Palestinian Authority, which intends to proceed paying terrorists and their families done alternate outgo channels."

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On Monday, the Palestinian News and Information Agency (WAFA) reported that Mahmoud Abbas "issued a decree instrumentality revoking the articles contained successful the laws and regulations related to the strategy of paying fiscal allowances to the families of prisoners, martyrs, and the wounded, successful the Prisoners' Law and the regulations issued by the Council of Ministers and the Palestine Liberation Organizations."

WAFA noted that, regarding Abbas’ decree, "powers of each extortion and societal payment programs successful Palestine person been transferred to the Palestinian Economic Empowerment Foundation." The Times of Israel reported that it had independently confirmed done sources that the revocation happened. 

The wage for slay argumentation gained nationalist attraction erstwhile Taylor Force, a West Point postgraduate who served successful Afghanistan and Iraq was savagely knifed to decease by a Palestinian violent connected March 8, 2016, portion connected a circuit of Israel. President Donald Trump signed the Taylor Force Act into instrumentality successful October 2018, aft a vigorous run by Force's parents, Robbi and Stuart Force.

"Abbas’ announcement seems to beryllium a ruse aimed astatine pulling the wool implicit President Trump’s eyes," Asher Fredman, a erstwhile Israeli authorities authoritative who present is the enforcement manager of the Misgav Institute for National Security, told Fox News Digital.

Flags are placed supra the poster of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas successful the West Bank metropolis of Nablus, Sept. 30, 2015. (AP Photo/Majdi Mohammed)

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"It appears that the terrorists and families of terrorists who received payments nether the PA’s ‘pay for slay’ programme volition proceed to person the aforesaid payments, simply via a ‘foundation’ nether the power of Abbas, alternatively than via a ministry nether the power of Abbas."

Fredman added, "It remains to beryllium seen whether Abbas genuinely ends the wage for slay payments, arsenic good arsenic the virulent panic incitement and antisemitism successful PA media, schools and summertime camps."

He said the PA announced that the payments to convicted terrorists are moving from the Ministry of Social Development to an autarkic Palestinian National Economic Empowerment Foundation. The caput of the foundation's committee is the curate of societal development. The foundation’s wide manager is besides seemingly an worker of the Ministry of Social Development, according to her LinkedIn profile. The linkage suggests that the instauration is intimately tied to the PA. 

Buses carrying Palestinian prisoners released from an Israeli situation arsenic portion of a ceasefire statement are greeted successful the West Bank metropolis of Ramallah, Saturday, Jan. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)

Rabbi Abraham Cooper, the subordinate dean of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, told Fox News Digital, "We volition rejoice erstwhile the PA stops financially rewarding Palestinian terrorists for murdering and injuring Israelis. Abbas’ connection makes nary specified commitment. Mr. Abbas, you either enactment and abet coercion oregon reason and assistance extremity it."

The Times of Israel reported that PA officials informed the incoming Trump medication astir its program to propulsion the plug connected the "pay to slay" program.

The reasoning down the PA’s determination is to curry favour with the Trump medication and debar the strained relations that existed during the archetypal Trump presidency. After Trump recognized Jerusalem arsenic Israel’s capital metropolis successful 2017, Abbas boycotted the Trump administration.

The Times of Israel wrote that Monday's "decree is Ramallah’s latest effort to amended ties with Washington and amounts to a major triumph for Trump, who managed to unafraid a concession from the PA that repeated U.S. administrations had worked to bring about."

A information captive with his hands tied astatine a situation successful Giv'at Ze'ev, Aug 28, 2024. (Gideon Markowicz/TPS-IL)

The PA is based successful Ramallah successful the West Bank (known successful Israel arsenic the biblical portion of Judea and Samaria).

Fox News Digital reported aft a precocious 2023 woody involving the speech of Palestinian terrorists imprisoned successful Israel for the merchandise of Israeli civilians held by Hamas successful Gaza that the freed terrorists would person monthly payments ranging from astir $535 to $668 for Jerusalem residents.

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Jason Brodsky, the argumentation manager of United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI), summed up a caller inclination of overseas leaders caving to the Trump administration. "I deliberation it speaks to the Trump effect. Foreign leaders fearfulness crossing the president due to the fact that helium knows however to prosecute successful coercive diplomacy, and it produces outcomes which beforehand U.S. interests similar this. Iran and different countries are watching precise cautiously however the president pressures different governments, and this volition signifier their decision-making. Thus far, Tehran has been much risk-averse since President Trump has been successful office," helium told Fox News Digital.

Fox News Digital questions to the Palestinian Authority were not answered.