Israeli Foreign Minister Accuses Palestinian Authority of Supporting Terrorism via Pay-for-Slay Program After Deadly Attack
On December 26, 2025, Israel's Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar accused the Palestinian Authority (PA) of supporting terrorism through its Pay-for-Slay program following a deadly attack in northern Israel. The incident, which took place in the Afula area, involved a car-ramming and stabbing attack that killed two Israelis: Aviv Maor, 19, of Kibbutz Ein Harod, and Mordechai Shimshon, 68, of Beit She’an.
Sa'ar linked the attack directly to PA payments to terrorists and their families, including those who are jailed or released. He stated that the PA disguises these payments as pensions through security-service payrolls, continuing a policy known as Pay-for-Slay. This program traces back to the 2016 killing of Taylor Force and prompted the Taylor Force Act, signed into law in October 2018, aimed at curbing U.S. aid to the PA over such payments.
Kobi Michael, a senior researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies, remarked that there has been no substantial change in PA policy regarding payments to terrorists and described the PA's public statements as a façade, emphasizing the difficulty for donors to monitor these funds effectively.
Conversely, Tamkeen, a PA-linked institution, disputed the claim that Pay-for-Slay remains intact, stating that payment systems linked to imprisonment years have been completely abolished and are no longer in effect.
The report also notes that Western European leaders recognized a Palestinian state in 2025, a move that Israel criticizes as potentially incentivizing the PA to continue programs like Pay-for-Slay. Meanwhile, the Trump administration is described as applying pressure on the PA to end such policies.
