Abbas briefs Norwegian PM on Israeli "violations", including anti-"Pay-for-slay" law
Headline: "The [PA] president called on Norway and the European Union to take a firm position that will force Israel to backtrack on its violations"
"[PA] President Mahmoud Abbas met yesterday evening [Nov. 19, 2019] with Norwegian Prime Minister Irina Solberg and briefed her on the developments of the Palestinian cause in the shadow of the ongoing Israeli violations, the latest of which was [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu's statement regarding applying Israeli sovereignty to the Jordan Valley, northern Dead Sea, and a number of settlements. This is in addition to the fact that Israel is continuing to confiscate the Palestinian tax money (referring to the Israeli Anti "Pay-for-Slay" Law to deduct terror salaries; see note below –Ed.) in a clear and explicit violation of international conventions and agreements."
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.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sept. 10, 2019: “Today, I announce my intention, after the establishment of a new government, to apply Israeli sovereignty to the Jordan Valley and the northern Dead Sea." He also said: "There will be no more uprooting [of Jewish settlements]. With God’s help we will apply Jewish sovereignty over all communities as part of the land of Israel and the State of Israel,” while visiting Elkana, in the West Bank east of Tel Aviv, on Sept. 1, 2019, and: “Our mission is to establish the Jewish people in its land and to ensure our sovereignty in our historical homeland,” while visiting Beit El, in the West Bank north of Jerusalem, on Aug. 8, 2019.