The Palestinian Authority has made the decision to stop paying stipends to the families of convicted terrorists and other prisoners, in a move seen as a gesture to President Donald Trump.
For years, the program determined the size of the stipend based on the length of a prisoner’s sentence, with those convicted of more serious offenses receiving larger stipends. While Palestinians often view prisoners as heroes in the resistance against Israel, the payment program has faced criticism from Israeli and American officials.
Pro-Israel advocates have labeled the program as “pay-for-slay,” pointing to it as evidence that the Palestinian Authority incentivized terrorism. During Trump’s first term, Congress passed legislation reducing aid to the P.A. based on the payment program.
Now, the program has been terminated. Palestinian news agency Maan reported that P.A. President Mahmoud Abbas ended the program on Monday, while allowing low-income families of prisoners to qualify for other forms of aid. This decision comes as hundreds of Palestinian prisoners have been released under Israel’s ceasefire deal with Hamas.
According to the Times of Israel, the cancellation of the program was planned at the end of the Biden administration but was not announced until after Trump took office to strengthen ties with him.
Abbas reportedly hopes to improve relations with the Trump White House after cutting off ties during Trump’s first term in response to the move of the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem. The P.A. also faces the possibility of being sidelined in determining the future of Gaza, with Israel rejecting the idea of P.A. governance in the territory and Trump proposing a U.S. takeover.