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Palestinian Economist: Because of Pay-for-Slay, ‘There Is No Money’
People hold Fatah flags during a protest in support of the people of Gaza, as the conflict between Israel and Hamas continues, in Hebron, in the West Bank, Oct. 27, 2023. Photo: REUTERS/Mussa Qawasma
Just a week after a senior Palestinian Authority (PA) education official acknowledged that the PA prefers to fund terrorists rather than its children’s education system, a prominent Palestinian economist has now admitted that the PA cannot pay civil servants because it has chosen to pay terrorists first.
General Union of Palestinian Economists Secretary Nasser Atyani: “We are talking about around 280 million shekels ($85.5 million) that are being deducted [by Israel] every month [of the Gaza war], which were earmarked for the Gaza Strip, aside from an additional amount of 55-60 million shekels ($16.8-18.3 million) that were earmarked for the families of the Martyrs [i.e., Israel deducts the amount of PA terror salaries]
… We are saying that we have a problem with the [PA] budget and that there is no money, for example, to pay the salaries of the [PA] employees and cover the expenses.” [emphasis added]
[Official PA TV, The Economic Discourse, Oct. 29, 2025]
Atyani intended this as a complaint against Israel, but his words confirm the real story — the PA has no money for civil servants because it deliberately allocates massive funds to terrorists and their families.
Palestinian Media Watch (PMW) has repeatedly shown that the PA’s budget crisis would end immediately if the PA stopped its “Pay-for-Slay” rewards for terrorists serving prison sentences, as well as released terrorists, and the families of dead terrorists.
Instead of paying teachers, nurses, and other public employees, the PA continues to funnel tens of millions of dollars every month to incentivize terror.
The PA leadership enters each budget year knowing precisely how much money will be deducted by Israel — the same sum the PA allocated to terror salaries the previous year. And yet the PA refuses to stop prioritizing terror. This admission has been made on PA TV twice in just over a week — there is money, but it is reserved for terrorists first.
The bottom line is unavoidable. The Palestinian Authority’s financial crisis is not caused by Israel. Rather, it is the direct result of the PA’s unwavering commitment to reward terrorism at the expense of its own people.
Ephraim D. Tepler is a contributor to Palestinian Media Watch (PMW). Itamar Marcus is the Founder and Director of PMW, where a version of this article first appeared.
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Exclusive: Israeli Officials Harshly Critical of Steve Witkoff’s Influence on US Policy on Gaza, Iran, i24NEWS Told
US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, Washington, DC, Jan. 20, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Carlos Barria
i24 News – Amid growing disagreements with the Trump administration over the composition of the Board of Peace for Gaza and the question of a strike on Iran, officials in Israel point to a key figure behind decisions seen as running counter to Israeli interests: Special Envoy Steve Witkoff.
The officials mention sustained dissatisfaction with Witkoff. Sources close to the PM Netanyahu told i24NEWS on Saturday evening: “For several months now, the feeling has been that envoy Steve Witkoff has strong ties, for his own reasons, across the Middle East, and that at times the Israeli interest does not truly prevail in his decision-making.”
This criticism relates both to the proposed inclusion of Turkey and Qatar in Gaza’s governing bodies and to the Iranian threat. A senior Israeli official put it bluntly: “If it turns out that he is among those blocking a strike on Iran, that is far more than a coincidence.”
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EU Warns of Downward Spiral After Trump Threatens Tariffs Over Greenland
European Union flags flutter outside the EU Commission headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, on June 17, 2022. Photo: Reuters/Yves Herman
European Union leaders on Saturday warned of a “dangerous downward spiral” over US President Donald Trump‘s vow to implement increasing tariffs on European allies until the US is allowed to buy Greenland.
“Tariffs would undermine transatlantic relations and risk a dangerous downward spiral. Europe will remain united, coordinated, and committed to upholding its sovereignty,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and EU Council President Antonio Costa said in posts on X.
The bloc’s top diplomat Kaja Kallas said tariffs would hurt prosperity on both sides of the Atlantic, while distracting the EU from its “core task” of ending Russia’s war in Ukraine.
“China and Russia must be having a field day. They are the ones who benefit from divisions among allies,” Kallas said on X.
“Tariffs risk making Europe and the United States poorer and undermine our shared prosperity. If Greenland’s security is at risk, we can address this inside NATO.”
Ambassadors from the European Union’s 27 countries will convene on Sunday for an emergency meeting to discuss their response to the tariff threat.
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Israel Says US Gaza Executive Board Composition Against Its Policy
FILE PHOTO: Displaced Palestinians shelter at a tent camp in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, January 14, 2026. REUTERS/Haseeb Alwazeer/File Photo
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said on Saturday that this week’s Trump administration announcement on the composition of a Gaza executive board was not coordinated with Israel and ran counter to government policy.
It said Foreign Minister Gideon Saar would raise the issue with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
The statement did not specify what part of the board’s composition contradicted Israeli policy. An Israeli government spokesperson declined to comment.
The board, unveiled by the White House on Friday, includes Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan. Israel has repeatedly opposed any Turkish role in Gaza.
Other members of the executive board include Sigrid Kaag, the U.N. special coordinator for the Middle East peace process; an Israeli‑Cypriot billionaire; and a minister from the United Arab Emirates, which established relations with Israel in 2020.
Washington this week also announced the start of the second phase of President Donald Trump’s plan, announced in September, to end the war in Gaza. This includes creating a transitional technocratic Palestinian administration in the enclave.
The first members of the so-called Board of Peace – to be chaired by Trump and tasked with supervising Gaza’s temporary governance – were also named. Members include Rubio, billionaire developer Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.