PA PM: Regarding terror salaries, “the government will remain loyal to all of the commitments” that Abbas has promised

"During the [PA] government's weekly meeting that was held yesterday [Nov. 4, 2019] in Ramallah… [PA] Prime Minister [Muhammad Shtayyeh] explained regarding the tax money that the crisis still exists and has not been completely resolved, and that Israel is continuing to confiscate the prisoners and Martyrs' money (referring to Israel's Anti "Pay-for-Slay" Law to deduct terror salaries; see note below –Ed.). He emphasized that the government will remain loyal to all of the commitments that [PA] President Mahmoud Abbas has promised."

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.