Because of Pay-for-Slay, “we have a problem, there is no money” – senior Palestinian economist
Just a week after a senior Palestinian Authority education official acknowledged that the PA prefers to fund terrorists rather than its children's education system, a prominent Palestinian economist has now admitted that the PA cannot pay civil servants because it has chosen to pay terrorists first.
General Union of Palestinian Economists Secretary Nasser Atyani: "We are talking about around 280 million shekels ($85.5 million) that are being deducted [by Israel] every month [of the Gaza war], which were earmarked for the Gaza Strip, aside from an additional amount of 55-60 million shekels ($16.8-18.3 million) that were earmarked for the families of the Martyrs (i.e., Israel deducts the amount of PA terror salaries)… We are saying that we have a problem with the [PA] budget and that there is no money, for example, to pay the salaries of the [PA] employees and cover the expenses."
[Official PA TV, The Economic Discourse, Oct. 29, 2025]
Atyani intended this as a complaint against Israel, but his words confirm the real story—the PA has no money for civil servants because it deliberately allocates massive funds to terrorists and their families.
Palestinian Media Watch has repeatedly shown that the PA's budget crisis would end immediately if the PA stopped its "Pay-for-Slay" rewards for terrorists serving prison sentences, released terrorists, and the families of dead terrorists. Instead of paying teachers, nurses, and other public employees, the PA continues to funnel tens of millions of dollars every month to incentivize terror.
The PA leadership enters each budget year knowing precisely how much money will be deducted by Israel—the same sum the PA allocated to terror salaries the previous year. And yet the PA refuses to stop prioritizing terror. This admission has been made on PA TV twice in just over a week—there is money, but it is reserved for terrorists first.
The bottom line is unavoidable. The Palestinian Authority's financial crisis is not caused by Israel. Rather, it is the direct result of the PA's unwavering commitment to reward terrorism at the expense of its own people.