The Media Line: Sa’ar Says Palestinian Authority Has Not Ended ‘Pay-for-Slay’ Policy   

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Sa’ar Says Palestinian Authority Has Not Ended ‘Pay-for-Slay’ Policy   

By The Media Line Staff  

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar accused the Palestinian Authority on Monday of maintaining its “pay-for-slay” program, claiming it continues to reward terrorists and their families despite pledges to abolish the practice.  

Speaking in Budapest after meeting Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó, Sa’ar said the policy had merely been disguised under a new format. “The Palestinian Authority never ended these payments,” he told reporters. “They simply changed the method. Terrorists now collect their salaries from Palestinian post offices.”  

He added that the payments include those made to Hamas members involved in attacks on Israelis, including individuals released as part of the current ceasefire arrangement with Gaza. “Instead of demanding accountability from the PA, the European Union turns a blind eye,” Sa’ar said. “By doing so, they encourage terror rather than prevent it.”  

Sa’ar praised Hungary for refusing to overlook what he described as an ongoing moral and legal violation. “I urge responsible European leaders to follow Hungary’s example,” he said. “Stop rewarding the PA while it pays terrorists. President Trump’s 20-point plan made it clear — there can be no legitimacy for the Palestinian Authority unless it ends these payments.”  

The PA announced earlier this year that it had canceled the law authorizing the payments, following international pressure. Officials in Ramallah said the revised system was based on economic need, not time spent in Israeli prisons. Some recipients lost eligibility, others were added, and certain families continued receiving funds under the new criteria.  

However, watchdog group Palestinian Media Watch reported to The Jerusalem Post Sunday that the payments were quietly resumed. According to the group, stipends for prisoners and the families of those killed in attacks were distributed through PA post offices, with recipients confirming they received half of their usual monthly amount — similar to partial salaries currently paid to PA civil servants amid ongoing financial shortages.  

Sa’ar concluded that such evidence proves the policy has not been genuinely reformed, calling the continued transfers “a betrayal of international commitments and an incentive for further violence.”