The Palestinian Authority (PA) has reportedly made contact with the Trump administration and high-ranking congressional leaders, indicating its willingness to eliminate the controversial “Martyrs’ Fund,” which has been criticized for compensating individuals engaged in attacks against Israelis.

According to Israel’s Channel 12, the PA is proposing to revise its payment system for Palestinian prisoners convicted of terrorism, shifting the basis of that compensation from the crimes committed to the socioeconomic status of the individuals.

High-level officials in Ramallah have disclosed that in return for this significant concession, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is requesting the United States to repeal the Taylor Force Act, which restricts U.S. financial aid to the PA until it ceases payments to terrorists and their families.

Additionally, Abbas seeks the removal of other sanctions placed on the PA by Washington.

Moreover, Abbas is requesting that Israel halt its practice of deducting tax revenues from the PA, proportional to the amount the PA allocates to terrorist payments, a law passed by the Knesset in 2018.

While both Israel and the United States have targeted the PA’s “pay-for-slay” initiatives, the Fatah-led authority has remained resolute in upholding this program.

In a statement made in October 2019, Abbas asserted, “Martyrs and their families are sacred, as are the injured and the imprisoned. We must support all of them. If there is any money left, it is reserved for them, not for the living.”

Abbas has followed through on this commitment, with the PA reportedly reducing salaries for its staff to ensure full payments to imprisoned terrorists.

As banks in the PA faced the threat of violating international laws against financing terrorism by maintaining accounts for jailed terrorists, the PA established a dedicated banking institution focused solely on disbursing payments to these individuals.

According to findings by a Jerusalem-based monitoring group disclosed on February 5, many of the terrorists recently released by Israel as part of a ceasefire agreement have become affluent due to years of monthly payments from the PA’s “pay-for-slay” program.

The total amount allocated to these terrorists amounts to $141,837,087, with nearly half of the recipients (316 individuals) receiving more than $280,000 each, according to Palestinian Media Watch.