PA Foreign Minister “emphasized the Palestinian leadership’s complete rejection of the financial blackmail attempts that Israel is carrying out by stealing the tax money”

Headline: “Al-Malki briefed the Belgian consul general on the recent developments”

“[PA] Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Dr. Riyad Al-Malki briefed Belgian Consul General Danielle Haven yesterday [May 23, 2019] at the ministry headquarters in Ramallah on the recent political and diplomatic developments concerning the Palestinian cause…

Al-Malki emphasized the Palestinian leadership’s complete rejection of the financial blackmail attempts that Israel is carrying out by stealing the tax money (refers to Anti “Pay-for-Slay” Law to deduct terrorist salaries; see note below –Ed.), which has caused a stifling monetary crisis that Palestine has been experiencing for four months.”

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.