PA PM: Israel is “waging a war against us regarding the [PA] curriculum" and salaries for terrorists and their families

“[PA] Prime Minister Muhammad Shtayyeh said… that we are dealing with many challenges, and foremost among them the results of the occupation, such as the settlement enterprise… and this is in addition to taking control of lands, cutting down trees, stealing our water, and waging a war against us regarding the [PA] curriculum and the livelihood of our prisoners and [the families of] our Martyrs (refers to Israel’s Anti “Pay-for-Slay” Law to deduct terror salaries; see note below –Ed.). He emphasized that despite this we will remain loyal to the curriculum, the Martyrs, the prisoners, the land, the olive trees, and every person in this homeland.”

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.