A report published by the site “Axios,” citing a Palestinian official, stated that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has canceled the laws that regulated the transfer of financial allocations to the families of prisoners and martyrs.

Prior Notification to the Trump Administration

According to the source, the Palestinian Authority notified the administration of former U.S. President Donald Trump in advance of this step, as part of its efforts to strengthen relations with the United States and alleviate international pressures.

Background of the Decision

• This step comes amidst international demands and pressures to stop the payments, as some countries consider them indirect support for violence.

• Both Israel and the United States had taken measures against the Palestinian Authority because of these payments, such as withholding Palestinian tax funds.

• The issue of prisoners and martyrs is considered one of the sensitive issues in Palestinian society, and President Abbas had previously affirmed his commitment to disbursing these allocations.

Possible Reactions

• This decision is expected to spark extensive controversy in Palestinian circles, as families of prisoners and martyrs view these allocations as a national right rather than a privilege.

• The decision may affect the popularity of the Palestinian Authority internally, especially amidst ongoing tensions in the Palestinian territories.

Position of the Palestinian Authority

The Palestinian Authority issued a statement saying that President Mahmoud Abbas, President of the State of Palestine, and Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization, issued a decision by law to cancel the articles contained in the laws and regulations related to the payment system for financial allocations to the families of prisoners, martyrs, and wounded, in the law on prisoners and the regulations issued by the Cabinet and the Palestine Liberation Organization, as well as transferring the computerized cash assistance program and its database and financial and local and international allocations from the Ministry of Social Development to the Palestinian National Institution for Economic Empowerment.

Under these amendments:
1) All families that previously benefited from the previous laws and regulations are subject to the same criteria applied without discrimination among all families benefiting from protection and social care programs, according to standards of inclusivity and fairness, which apply to all families in need of assistance in Palestinian society.

2) Under this amendment, the powers of all protection and social care programs in Palestine have been transferred to the Palestinian Economic Empowerment Institution, which will assume the responsibilities of providing protection and social care programs to all Palestinian families in need of assistance without discrimination.

The Palestinian Economic Empowerment Institution has independent legal personality, managed by a Board of Trustees appointed by the president, and operates according to its law, tasks, and transparent work mechanisms, and is subject to standards of administrative and financial auditing, including oversight from international institutions, to ensure transparency of procedures and fairness of distribution.

Accordingly, the Palestinian National Institution for Economic Empowerment will seek to mobilize all possible funds, grants, and allocations for various segments of our people, especially amidst the significant increase in the number of families requiring social care, support, and empowerment after the war on Gaza and the West Bank, and to contribute to strengthening the resilience of our people, similar to the various social care systems adopted by different countries around the world that have strong and institutionalized social welfare systems.

 
This is part of strengthening the status of the State of Palestine and its legal standing in the United Nations and various international institutions, obtaining more international recognitions, and full membership of the State of Palestine in the United Nations, in the context of working to protect the higher national interests, and to address the new burdens of aiding our families in the Gaza Strip, especially the children who have lost their providers, and the families who are stranded, with the aim of restoring international aid programs that were halted in previous years, which we need to implement development and economic recovery programs, to support reconstruction programs, and to seek to lift the financial blockade and stop the illegal deductions made by the Israeli occupying authorities from the funds of Palestinian taxpayers, which have reached billions of shekels.

Conclusion

The decision to cancel the allocations remains a sensitive issue with political and economic dimensions, as the Palestinian Authority seeks to reevaluate its financial policies amidst international pressures, while simultaneously facing internal criticisms that may affect its political stability.