Israel imposes new sanctions on ‘pay for slay’ recipients

Palestinian boys sit atop a broken sculpture of Jerusalem’s Dome of the Rock shrine in Qabatiya, north of the occupied West Bank. PIC/AFP

Defence Minister Israel Katz announced new sanctions on Tuesday targeting security prisoners and their families who are Israeli citizens and residents receiving "pay for slay" payouts from the Palestinian Authority (PA). Following the decision, Israeli security forces conducted raids on multiple homes, confiscating cash and assets worth hundreds of thousands of shekels, the Defence Ministry said. The funds, Katz said, were payments made by the PA to convicted terrorists and their families as compensation for past attacks.

In addition to the sanctions, Israel froze NIS 470 million ($131 million) in PA funds, which Katz stated would be redirected to support victims of terror. The PA allocates around $279 million annually to pay salaries to security prisoners in Israeli prisons, which range from $400-$3400 per month, depending on the sentence. In comparison, PA welfare benefits to ordinary Palestinians range from $60-$170 per month.

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