Israel this year is required to withhold an additional NIS 241 million from the Palestinian Authority (PA) after it emerged that the amount of money that was paid to the families of dead terrorists or Arab prisoners incarcerated in Israel is higher than previously estimated.
The Ramallah government policy of paying the families of so-called ‘martyrs‘ has been criticized as a “pay to slay” law, as it provides a financial incentive to commit terrorist attacks against Israelis.
Israel collects taxes on behalf of the Palestinian Authority and transfers the funds to Ramallah. An Israeli law passed in February, however, states that Israel is required to deduct the sum of money used in the PA’s controversial “Martyrs’ Fund” process of paying terrorists and their families.