External Audit Finds PA No Longer Rewarding Security Prisoners, Diplomats Say

Preliminary results from an external audit indicate that the Palestinian Authority (PA) has successfully reformed its welfare program, shifting to a needs-based system that no longer rewards individuals based on their relative's involvement in attacks against Israel. Two Western diplomats, briefed on the audit conducted by the global consulting firm Alvarez and Marsal (A&M), shared these findings with The Times of Israel.

The audit has been underway for nearly a year as the PA seeks to demonstrate compliance with reforms announced by President Mahmoud Abbas in February 2025. This reform aimed to dismantle a program that previously provided payments to families of prisoners based on sentence length, and to the families of those killed or injured during attacks on Israelis. Critics had labeled this policy "pay-to-slay," arguing it incentivized terrorism.

However, the US State Department publicly informed Congress in late April that the PA had not halted these payments, despite its announcement. This assessment appeared to rely heavily on information from the Israeli government and anti-PA non-governmental organizations, lacking definitive proof of the reform's reversal.

Internal PA documents obtained by The Times of Israel last year suggested the reform was indeed implemented, transitioning the welfare program to a system prioritizing socioeconomic status over any connection to the conflict. To counter the ongoing questions about the reform's legitimacy, the PA commissioned A&M to conduct an independent audit, hoping to definitively address the controversy.