The Palestinian Authority has quietly dismantled its notorious “pay-to-slay” stipend system, replacing it with a new welfare program that allocates aid strictly on the basis of economic need. According to internal documents obtained by The Times of Israel, the Palestinian National Economic Empowerment Institution (PNEEI) has finalized eligibility rules and informed over 3,000 people that they no longer qualify for payments. At the same time, some 2,000 households have been newly added to the rolls.

The reforms mark the most significant overhaul yet of the PA’s social support structure, which for years provided stipends to Palestinians convicted of terror attacks and to the families of slain attackers. The program, defended by Palestinian officials as social welfare, drew relentless criticism from Israel, the U.S., and Europe, with opponents arguing it directly incentivized terrorism.

President Mahmoud Abbas signed a decree in February formally canceling legislation that tied stipend size to the length of an attacker’s prison sentence. Under the new system, benefits will be distributed by the semi-independent PNEEI, which has appointed a fresh board of trustees and professional staff to oversee payments. Some families of Palestinian prisoners will still receive aid, but only after being screened for economic hardship, and the stipends will come from PNEEI rather than the disbanded Prisoners and Martyrs Fund.

Still, the reforms have not softened skepticism abroad. The U.S. continues to cite the discredited system as evidence of the PA’s lack of credibility, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio declaring earlier this month that “the Palestinian Authority has its own set of problems – pay for slay – they pay people to kill Israelis.” Washington has not yet sent inspectors to verify the changes, forcing the PA to hire an outside auditing firm to certify compliance.

The 2018 Taylor Force Act bars U.S. aid so long as stipends reward acts of violence. A successful audit could reopen the door to limited American support, even as broader funding restrictions remain due to Ramallah’s pursuit of Israel at the International Criminal Court.

For now, the rollout remains shaky. Israel’s freeze on transferring hundreds of millions of dollars in tax revenues has left Ramallah months behind on salaries and welfare checks. Payments under the new system have yet to be issued, with officials saying stipends for June will be the first distributed.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)