Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas issued a decree Monday revoking the longstanding system of payments to families of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails and to families of those killed or wounded in attacks against Israelis. The policy, referred to as “pay-for-slay” by the first Trump administration and the Israeli government, had been a major point of contention between the U.S. and the Palestinian Authority.
For years, the U.S. and Israel argued that the payments incentivized attacks and repeatedly pressured the PA to end them. Negotiations on the issue took place over two years under the Biden administration, with a deal in principle reached months ago, according to a senior Palestinian official. However, the PA delayed action due to the war in Gaza, and Abbas ultimately chose to wait until President Trump took office to give his administration the win. The PA notified the Trump administration in advance of the announcement, hoping the move would improve relations and lead to the resumption of U.S. financial aid.
During Trump’s previous term, Congress passed the Taylor Force Act, barring direct U.S. financial assistance to the PA as long as the payments continued. Israel later enacted a law deducting the payments from tax revenues it collected for the PA, worsening the authority’s fiscal struggles.
A Palestinian official said Abbas’ decree revokes legal provisions governing the payments and transfers the cash assistance program from the Ministry of Social Development to the Palestinian National Foundation for Economic Empowerment. Under the new system, all families receiving aid will be subject to the same standards applied to other social welfare beneficiaries in the Palestinian Authority.
