PA: Israel’s ‘pay for slay’ deduction is terrorism, piracy

The Israeli security cabinet’s decision to deduct NIS 597 million from the tax money Israel collects on behalf of the Palestinian Authority is a crime tantamount to terrorism and piracy, according to Qadri Abu Bakr, chairman of the Palestinian Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs Commission.

On Sunday, the security cabinet authorized the deduction of the amount the PA pays to the families of Palestinians who carried out terrorist attacks against Israelis from the taxes and tariffs Israel collects on behalf of the Palestinian government.

“These racist actions and the policy of theft of funds estimated at millions of shekels on the pretext that they are paid as salaries to the Palestinian prisoners, as well as to the families of the martyrs, will only increase the determination of the Palestinian

leadership to serve these fighters, who are defending the homeland against a filthy occupier that practices all forms of terrorism against us and our homeland,” Abu Bakr said Sunday.

PA Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh denounced the decision as “illegal” and said that it contradicts the signed agreements between Israel and the Palestinians and constitutes a violation of international laws.

Shtayyeh called on the international community to intervene with Israel “to stop these unfair cuts.”

According to Shtayyeh, Israel has deducted a total of NIS 851 million since 2019 from the taxes and tariffs collected on behalf of the Palestinians.

He warned of the “difficult repercussions of the decision and said that it would make the Palestinian financial situation more difficult.”