For years, the Palestinian administration within the occupied West Financial institution has doled out a whole lot of tens of millions of {dollars} in stipends to the households of Palestinians jailed or killed by Israel — together with these concerned in violent assaults.
The US and Israel have lengthy condemned the funds and pressured the Palestinian Authority to finish them. And on Monday, the Authority introduced that it was backing away from the observe — a shift that analysts noticed as an try to curry favor with President Trump and convey much-needed international help into Palestinian coffers.
Palestinian officers, talking on situation of anonymity to debate a delicate subject, stated the transfer was aimed to carry the Palestinian administration into compliance with American legislation and to permit for extra international help to movement. A U.S. legislation banned direct American financial help to the Palestinian Authority so long as it carried out the observe.
The ban has solely deepened the financial misery of the cash-strapped Palestinian Authority in recent times and it has more and more struggled to make ends meet and to pay its staff’ month-to-month salaries.
Mahmoud Abbas, the ageing Palestinian Authority president, issued a decree on Monday night time that overhauled the cost system. The stipends have been some of the emotionally charged points in Palestinian politics.
A physique set as much as handle social welfare funds to needy Palestinians, often called the Palestinian Nationwide Financial Empowerment Establishment, stated in a press release that the households of prisoners would obtain funds primarily based solely on monetary wants and social welfare standards, “with out regard to political affiliations or previous actions.”
The legislation implies that the households of prisoners would nonetheless be eligible for social welfare funds so long as they show a monetary want, versus being compensated for combating in opposition to Israel’s rule.
The brand new system would abide by 43 internationally acknowledged standards for assessing social welfare wants, the assertion stated.
Each U.S. and Israeli officers will carefully monitor the implementation of the brand new coverage to see whether or not it results in a real shift.
Palestinians had been fast to criticize Mr. Abbas’s choice. Many within the West Financial institution and Gaza view these imprisoned by Israel as both the victims of essentially unjust Israeli navy courts or freedom fighters who fought again in opposition to their occupiers.
However Mr. Abbas is playing on a brand new starting with Mr. Trump after years of dangerous blood, and he’s hoping for a muted home response, stated Ibrahim Dalalsha, a Palestinian political analyst.
“That is the Trump impact. The Palestinian Authority desires to begin off effectively with Trump,” Mr. Dalalsha stated in a cellphone interview.
For the reason that U.S. election in November, Mr. Abbas’s authorities has sought to rebuild its relationship with the American president after his tumultuous first time period. However Mr. Trump’s current insistence that the roughly two million Palestinians must be transferred out of the Gaza Strip has already added new strains.
Throughout his first time period, Mr. Trump outraged the Palestinian management by transferring the U.S. Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to the contested capital of Jerusalem, freezing most help and peddling a peace plan they noticed as deeply slanted in Israel’s favor.
Israel has argued that paying advantages to the households of prisoners who’ve been concerned in lethal stabbings, shootings and suicide bombings in opposition to Israelis creates a monetary incentive for terrorism. It has labeled the coverage a “pay-for-slay” association, through which Palestinians with longer sentences get increased stipends, successfully rewarding individuals for committing deadlier assaults in Israel’s view.
In response, Israel has withheld funds from the Palestinian Authority, usually greater than $100 million annually. The cash is drawn from tax revenues Israel collects on behalf of the Palestinian administration.
In 2018, Mr. Trump signed the Taylor Power Act, which ended financial help that immediately benefited the Palestinian Authority so long as it continued to disburse the stipends. In its assertion, the brand new Palestinian welfare establishment stated the reform “aligns immediately with the objectives of the Taylor Power Act.”
The Israeli authorities rapidly dismissed Mr. Abbas’s announcement as a sham, saying it could not finish the observe of paying the households of prisoners.
“It is a new deception scheme by the Palestinian Authority, which intends to proceed paying terrorists and their households via various cost channels,” stated Oren Marmorstein, a spokesman for the Israeli international ministry.
Mr. Abbas’s decree was unlikely to instantly lead American help to start flowing once more to the Palestinian Authority. Mr. Trump has but to say publicly whether or not he’s prepared to assist the Palestinian Authority.
And different authorized hurdles would stay, together with the prolonged technique of certifying that Mr. Abbas’s authorities is in compliance with the Taylor Power Act.
If the Palestinian Authority enforces the adjustments, it could be a outstanding about-face for Mr. Abbas, who had beforehand insisted that he would by no means quit on the funds. Prior to now, he has gone as far as to say that even when the Palestinian Authority was working out of cash, he would spend no matter remained on the stipends.
In late January, Hussein al-Sheikh, a prime adviser to Mr. Abbas, knowledgeable Steve Witkoff, Mr. Trump’s Center East envoy, that the Palestinian Authority was ready to maneuver forward with revising its prisoner funds system, based on the Palestinian official and one other diplomat.
The shift instantly prompted criticism within the West Financial institution, the place the Palestinian Authority administers some areas, together with main Palestinian cities. Hamas and Islamic Jihad, Mr. Abbas’s rivals, additionally condemned the choice.
Qadura Fares, the Palestinian Authority’s commissioner for prisoners’ affairs, known as on Mr. Abbas to “instantly retract” the decree throughout a information convention on Tuesday.
“This transfer is deeply fallacious,” stated Esmat Mansour, a former prisoner who stated he had served 20 years in jail for involvement in a stabbing assault in opposition to an Israeli. “The prisoners are icon. They’re those who’ve sacrificed for our freedom.”
Natan Odenheimer and Fatima AbdulKarim contributed reporting to this text.