An external audit commissioned by Western diplomats has found that the Palestinian Authority reformed its welfare program to be needs-based, no longer providing financial rewards to security prisoners, contradicting earlier US findings, according to Western officials cited by The Times of Israel.
The report, produced by a global consulting firm at the request of Western diplomats, marks a significant development in a long-running controversy over the PA's 'pay-for-slay' policy. For years, Israel and the US have accused the PA of incentivizing terrorism by paying stipends to security prisoners and families of killed militants. The US Taylor Force Act conditioned aid on ending such payments. The new review, described by Western officials to The Times of Israel, suggests Ramallah replaced the prisoner-linked stipends with a broader, needs-based welfare framework, effectively defunding the reward mechanism. The findings contradict earlier assessments by the US government, which maintained the practice continued. No details on the consulting firm or methodology have been published. Diplomats involved hope the audit will reset stalled US-Palestinian ties.
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