Abbas refuses to take any tax transfers from Israel that includes “the deduction of even one penny” of terror salaries

“During the PLO Executive Committee meeting that was held at the [PA] presidential headquarters in the city [of Ramallah] yesterday, Thursday [Oct. 3, 2019]… [PA] President [Mahmoud Abbas] spoke about the theft of tax money by the occupation for this the seventh month (i.e., referring to Israel’s Anti “Pay-for-Slay” Law to deduct terror salaries; see note below), and said: ‘We are still suffering as long as the money of the Martyrs, prisoners, and wounded is being held by Israel. Despite their great amount of contact to seek solutions, we told them that any solution that does not include [the money of] the Martyrs, wounded, and prisoners is absolutely unacceptable.’ …

The committee also reviewed the conversations held by the leadership to resolve the Israeli occupation government’s taking control of the Palestinian money and confiscating it. The president and Executive Committee members emphasized their adherence to the principled position that rejects the deduction of even one penny from the money of the families of the Martyrs, the wounded, and the prisoners. This is because it is a national cause that expresses our adherence to our principles, goals, and national fundamental principles that cannot be harmed, despite all of the suffering that we are experiencing due to the confiscation of our money.”

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.