Supervisor of PA media honored for “the role that the official media plays" in support of terrorists and their families, including salaries

Headline: "The National Association of the Families of the Martyrs [of Palestine] honors Minister Ahmad Assaf"

"Secretary-General of the National Association of the Families of the Martyrs of Palestine Muhammad Sbeihat honored General Supervisor of the Official [PA] Media [with the rank of] Minister Ahmad Assaf for the role that the official media plays in serving the Martyrs and their families and the prisoners and their families…

Assaf emphasized that the Martyrs are more honorable than all of us, and that they and their families and the prisoners and their families constitute a Palestinian red line. He noted the firm and determined positions of [PA] President Mahmoud Abbas and the Palestinian leadership, [which were expressed] when His Honor [President Abbas] refused to accept the Palestinian tax money after the allowances of the families of the Martyrs and the prisoners were deducted from it (refers to the Israeli Anti "Pay-for-Slay” Law to deduct terror salaries; see note below –Ed.). He pointed out the president's statement: 'Even if we are left with only one penny, it will be the right of the families of the Martyrs and the prisoners.’"

AhmadAssaf also holds the positions of Chairman of the Board of the official PA news agency WAFA and General Supervisor of Fatah-run Awdah TV.

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.