US lawmakers call on Biden to end PA's 'pay for slay'

(JNS) — A bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers is calling on the State Department to update Congress on negotiations to end the Palestinian Authority’s policy of paying terrorists.

In a letter sent to Secretary of State Antony Blinken, the 50 members of Congress noted with concern the uptick of violence in Judea and Samaria in recent months and the P.A.’s refusal to condemn the killings of Israelis while at the same time continuing its “pay for slay” program.

Led by Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.), the letter was signed by 30 Democrats and 20 Republicans.

“For some Palestinians, terrorism literally pays. As you know, the Palestinian Authority has for decades provided financial compensation and other benefits to families of terrorists jailed in Israeli prisons and ‘martyrs’ killed while carrying out attacks against Israelis,” the missive reads.

“The Palestinian Authority has clearly continued down the path of more hatred, violence and terror, without regard for the damage inflicted or for their role in diminishing the prospects for peace. But, so long as they pay citizens to murder civilians, they will do so without benefiting from the support of United States taxpayers. We know that the administration shares the view that support for terrorism and the Palestinians’ characterization of the martyr payment system as a form of social welfare is unacceptable.”

The Palestinian Authority Martyrs Fund costs the P.A. more than $300 million annually, or 8 percent of its budget. 

According to an analysis of the P.A.’s 2017 budget by the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, $346 million was paid to “martyrs” and prisoners (33,000 recipient families) compared to $213 million for social welfare benefits (118,000 recipient families).