For years, the Palestinian administration within the occupied West Financial institution has doled out tons of of hundreds of thousands of {dollars} in stipends to the households of Palestinians jailed or killed by Israel — together with these concerned in violent assaults.
America 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 apply — a shift that analysts noticed as an try to curry favor with President Trump and produce much-needed overseas assist into Palestinian coffers.
Palestinian officers, talking on situation of anonymity to debate a delicate situation, mentioned the transfer was aimed to carry the Palestinian administration into compliance with American regulation and to permit for extra overseas assist to circulation. A U.S. regulation banned direct American financial help to the Palestinian Authority so long as it carried out the apply.
The ban has solely deepened the financial misery of the cash-strapped Palestinian Authority lately and it has more and more struggled to make ends meet and to pay its staff’ month-to-month salaries.
Mahmoud Abbas, the getting older Palestinian Authority president, issued a decree on Monday night time that overhauled the fee system. The stipends have been one of the vital 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, mentioned in an announcement that the households of prisoners would obtain funds based mostly solely on monetary wants and social welfare standards, “with out regard to political affiliations or previous actions.”
The regulation implies that the households of prisoners would nonetheless be eligible for social welfare funds so long as they display a monetary want, versus being compensated for combating towards Israel’s rule.
The brand new system would abide by 43 internationally acknowledged standards for assessing social welfare wants, the assertion mentioned.
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 have been fast to criticize Mr. Abbas’s resolution. Many within the West Financial institution and Gaza view these imprisoned by Israel as both the victims of basically unjust Israeli army courts or freedom fighters who fought again towards 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, mentioned Ibrahim Dalalsha, a Palestinian political analyst.
“That is the Trump impact. The Palestinian Authority needs to begin off effectively with Trump,” Mr. Dalalsha mentioned 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 needs to be transferred out of the Gaza Strip has already added new strains.
Throughout his first time period, Mr. Trump outraged the Palestinian management by shifting the U.S. Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to the contested capital of Jerusalem, freezing most assist 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 towards Israelis creates a monetary incentive for terrorism. It has labeled the coverage a “pay-for-slay” association, by which Palestinians with longer sentences get greater stipends, successfully rewarding folks 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 Drive 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 mentioned the reform “aligns immediately with the objectives of the Taylor Drive Act.”
The Israeli authorities rapidly dismissed Mr. Abbas’s announcement as a sham, saying it could not finish the apply 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 by means of various fee channels,” mentioned Oren Marmorstein, a spokesman for the Israeli overseas ministry.
Mr. Abbas’s decree was unlikely to instantly lead American assist 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 strategy of certifying that Mr. Abbas’s authorities is in compliance with the Taylor Drive Act.
If the Palestinian Authority enforces the adjustments, it could be a exceptional 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 operating 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, in line with 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, referred to as on Mr. Abbas to “instantly retract” the decree throughout a information convention on Tuesday.
“This transfer is deeply unsuitable,” mentioned Esmat Mansour, a former prisoner who mentioned he had served 20 years in jail for involvement in a stabbing assault towards 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.
