NEW YORK CITY – Following today’s deadly attack in Jerusalem, the Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) denounced the Palestinian Authority for continuing its controversial policy of lifetime pensions to families of terrorists killed or imprisoned for attacking Israelis.
ZOA National President Morton “Mort” Klein stated, “It’s an insane humanitarian disgrace that these Arab Jewkillers’ families will now receive a lifetime pension from dictator terrorist Mahmoud Abbas’ regime.”
Klein further noted that PA President Abbas refuses to specifically condemn the murderers, and that the Fatah charter remains unchanged, still promoting armed struggle and the demolition of the Jewish State.
Investigations confirm the PA’s “Pay-for-Slay” practice remains largely intact, with the PA allocating over $300 million annually, roughly 7 percent of its total budget, to prisoners, dead attackers, and their families.
While recent decrees from Abbas have aimed to move payments into broader welfare systems, critics and NGO monitors say most families continue to receive substantial financial rewards, especially in cases of Israeli casualties.
PA officials argue the policy is necessary compensation for victims of “occupation,” but Israeli and Western governments denounce it as direct encouragement and glorification of terrorism.
Western governments, including some European states, continue to recognize and dialogue with the PA, despite its record of financially supporting convicted attackers and honoring “martyrs” at public events.
ZOA and other Jewish advocacy groups argue that such recognition undermines peace efforts and emboldens terror-linked networks.
Klein emphasized, “Not only has Abbas refused to specifically condemn these murderers, his intact Fatah charter still calls for the ‘armed struggle’ against Israeli Jews and the Jewish ‘demolition’ of the Jewish State.”
The persistence of the “Pay-for-Slay” system remains one of the key obstacles to meaningful peace negotiations and is a source of ongoing tension between Israel, the PA, and Western supporters.
This article is based on verified information from the Philos Project, Jewish Center for Public Affairs, Times of Israel, and PA Martyrs Fund documentation.