PA PM: “We will continue our commitment to the salaries of the Martyrs and the prisoners”
Official PA TV News
PA Prime Minister Muhammad Shtayyeh: “Regarding the money being held by Israel (refers to Israel’s Anti “Pay-for-Slay” Law to deduct terror salaries; see note below –Ed.), first of all we will continue our commitment to the salaries of the Martyrs and the prisoners. From the first day and the first moment of the crisis, we have remained loyal and paid in full what all the prisoners and Martyrs deserve. The problem with the Israeli side has not yet been resolved; we expected that the problem would be resolved by the end of July [2019], but until now there is no government in Israel to make a political decision on this matter.”
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Official PA TV newsreader: “The Israeli side has committed to holding a three-way meeting with the participation of France in order to reexamine the economic Paris Agreement (see note below –Ed.). [PA Minister of Civil Affairs and Fatah Central Committee member Hussein] Al-Sheikh said that Israeli Minister of Finance [Moshe Kahlon] has admitted that there is corruption and theft in all that concerns the medical financial transfers.”
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.
Paris Agreement – agreement on economic relations between Israel and the PLO, signed in Paris on April 29, 1994. Its main goal is to promote peace by establishing economic relations modeled on EU economic relations.