Fatah supports Abbas’ positions, “prime among them… the issue of the salaries of the Martyrs and prisoners”

Headline: “The continuation of the second session of the Fatah Movement Advisory Council’s meetings”

“The second session of the Fatah Movement Advisor Council’s meetings continued yesterday, Friday [July 12, 2019], at the [PA] presidential headquarters in Ramallah for the second consecutive day, in order to discuss the political developments in the Palestinian arena and the internal situation…

Those present emphasized their full support for [PA] President Mahmoud Abbas’ positions that adhere to the basic national principles, and prime among them Jerusalem and its holy sites and the issue of the salaries (rawatib) of the Martyrs and prisoners (refers to Israel’s Anti “Pay-for-Slay” Law to deduct terror salaries; see note below –Ed.).”

Israel's Anti "Pay-for-Slay" Law - Israeli law stating that the PA payments to terrorists and the families of dead terrorists is a financial incentive to terror. The law instructs the state to deduct and freeze the amount of money the PA pays in salaries to imprisoned terrorists and families of "Martyrs" from the tax money Israel collects for the PA. Should the PA stop these payments for a full year, the Israeli government would have the option of giving all or part of the frozen money to the PA. The law was enacted by the Israeli Parliament on July 2, 2018. During the parliamentary vote, the law's sponsor Avi Dichter said: “The Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee received much help in its deliberations... from Palestinian Media Watch who provided us with authentic data that enabled productive and professional deliberations, nuances that are very difficult to achieve without precise data.” [Israeli Parliament website, July 2, 2018] In accordance with the law, as of September 2021 Israel’s Security Cabinet had ordered the freeze of 1.857 billion shekels ($580.15 million) - the sum equivalent to the PA payments to terrorists in 2018, 2019, and 2020.