The European Union pledged to transfer 15 million euros to the Palestinian Authority, a decision that will enable it to keep paying salaries of public employees, but also terrorists who receive salaries under the pay-for-slay policy, Palestinian Media Watch reported.
Israel decided to withhold taxes from the PA, which were aimed at funding terrorists incarcerated in Israeli prisons, leading the PA to refuse all tax money. This reduced the PA's own budget by half, incurring a serious financial crisis in the West Bank.After Israel decided to cut those funds from the tax money it transfers to the PA, its leader Mahmoud Abbas reportedly announced that he would slash public employees's salaries in order to continue paying the terrorists, saying that the PA is "obligated" to continue rewarding terrorist prisoners and their families even if it would be with their "last financial resources."Under the pay-for-slay policy, the PA commits to payments to terrorists in prison, those released from prison and families of terrorists killed while carrying out attacks against Israel, including suicide bombers. Citing a report from the PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida from May 4, Palestinian Media Watch said that the EU stepped in to pay the April salaries of 57,000 public employees whose salaries were cut by 50% by the PA, thereby enabling it to continue paying those guilty of violent crimes against Israeli citizens with steady paychecks.