Overview
- Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar released figures claiming the PA’s disbursements rose from $144 million last year to $214 million committed this year.
- Sa’ar publicly urged Europe and other international partners to act, declaring, “Stop Pay-for-Slay NOW!”
- Reports say the PA rebranded the stipends as “welfare support” and shifted them from a ministry to an allegedly “independent” foundation under PA control.
- Coverage indicates PA finance chief Omar Bitar was dismissed over “unauthorized payments,” with some reports alleging he routed funds to prisoners via a workaround.
- Israel has previously deducted equivalent sums from tax revenues it collects for the PA in response to such payments, according to the reports.