According to If Americans Knew, under the terms of the Oslo Accords, Israel collects import and export taxes on behalf of the Palestinian Authority, which are supposed to be transferred to the PA for its operating budget. Israel regularly withholds part of this revenue—now totaling over $4 billion—claiming it is being used illegally for the so‑called “Pay‑for‑Slay” program (Palestinians often call it the Martyrs’ Fund), a social safety net for Palestinian families who have lost their breadwinner due to the conflict with Israel.
Never mind that many Palestinian “martyrs” were not killers or attackers, but were themselves killed while walking to school, participating in peaceful demonstrations, or sleeping in their beds. Israel does not differentiate, claiming the program encourages Palestinians to volunteer for suicide missions. Meanwhile, Israel is not subjected to any “Pay‑for‑Slay” restrictions, despite receiving $3.8 billion annually from the United States. This gives Israel impunity to oppress Palestinians and avoid accountability.
The last suicide attack targeting Israelis took place on November 23, 2006. It was carried out by a 64‑year‑old Palestinian grandmother, Fatma Omar An‑Najar. Her relatives said she was by far the oldest of the more than 100 Palestinian suicide bombers who have targeted Israelis in their struggle for freedom and independence. The bombing occurred as Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) were moving through the Jabaliya refugee camp in northern Gaza on the second day of an operation against Palestinian resistance. She detonated the explosives she was carrying, killing herself and slightly wounding two soldiers.
Fatma An‑Najar was a mother of nine and a grandmother of between 35 and 38 people. During the First Intifada, the Israeli army demolished her home. One grandson was shot dead in 2002, and another had both legs amputated.
Hamas has largely ceased using suicide bombings due to strategic shifts, operational changes, and the evolving political landscape. Moreover, suicide bombing is unequivocally considered a sin in Islam because it involves self‑killing and often harms innocent people. Islamic teachings, Qur’anic injunctions, and hadith consistently prohibit such acts, and contemporary scholars affirm that no justification permits suicide attacks against civilians.
It should be noted that although Israel criticizes the Martyrs’ Fund, Israel itself has a compensation program for families of IDF soldiers killed or injured in the line of duty—as does the United States. So why hold Palestinians to a different standard?
Short answer: “Pay for Slay” (also called “pay‑to‑slay”) is not a term coined by the Palestinian Authority. It is a label used by critics—especially in the Israeli government, Western media, and advocacy groups such as AIPAC and the ADL—to describe the Palestinian Authority Martyrs’ Fund, which pays stipends to Palestinians imprisoned, injured, or killed during the war of independence.
Do What We Say, Not What We Do
What Israel is telling Palestinians is: do what we say, not what we do. It is well known that the PA pays salaries to Palestinian prisoners held in Israel and to families whose loved ones were killed by the IDF or Jewish settlers. Israeli law does not punish settlers or soldiers who kill Palestinian men, women, and children, nor does it offer compensation to the victims’ families. In fact, under current Israeli law, one could even be rewarded after murdering a fellow Israeli citizen.
Case in point: Yigal Amir, the Jewish Israeli extremist who assassinated Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin on November 4, 1995, was allowed to marry, reunite with his wife, and receive allowances and benefits. Palestinian martyrs and prisoners are freedom fighters in the eyes of many Palestinians, and their families deserve support more than anyone.
Marwan Barghouti: Considered by Many Palestinians as the Next Leader
In Palestinian political culture, prisoners are widely viewed as national heroes. Marwan Barghouti is often considered by many Palestinians as the next leader due to his significant influence and popularity, even though he has been in Israeli prison since 2002.
The United States passed the Taylor Force Act (2018), restricting aid until the PA ends these payments. Under President Trump, the U.S.:
- Cut all $390 million in annual aid to Palestinians.
- Closed the PLO office in Washington, D.C.
- Opposed the ICC arrest warrants against Israeli leaders.
- Sanctioned four International Criminal Court judges.
More than 950 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank since the beginning of the war in Gaza. Ten were Americans of Palestinian descent—including a 14‑year‑old New Jersey native. There has been no condemnation from U.S. officials, no withholding of aid to “the only democracy,” and no demand for compensation. It should be added that there are no Hamas fighters or Israeli hostages in the West Bank.
Nevertheless, Palestinians will continue to defend the Martyrs’ Fund as a social‑welfare obligation, regardless of Israel and U.S. officials labeling it “Pay for Slay” or claiming it rewards violence.
Finally, supporting Israeli apartheid, genocide, and ethnic cleansing of Palestinians—as well as the campaign against the Martyrs’ Fund—is unfair, because it makes life unbearable for the Palestinian people.
Mahmoud El‑Yousseph is a Palestinian freelance writer and retired U.S. Air Force veteran. He writes on U.S. foreign policy, Middle East affairs, and justice. Email: elyousseph6@yahoo.com
