It turns out this is not quite true.
Hatem Abdel Qader |
Back in February, it was reported that the PA had cut the salaries to terrorists and their families - but only for those who belonged to president Mahmoud Abbas' political opponents in Gaza, including former Fatah members, Hamas and Islamic Jihad. At the time the cuts were blamed by PA officials as a "technical fault."
It was no such thing. By summer, it was clear that the salaries were not going to be paid for some 2700"martyrs", prisoners and their families. These included members of Hamas, Islamic Jihad and followers of Abbas' political rival Mohammed Dahlan, going back to late 2018.
Abbas similarly cut salaries completely to workers in Gaza as well, while he cut the salaries of those in the West Bank by 50%.
Suddenly, the "moral" stance of Mohammed Abbas where he claimed he would prioritize paying "martyrs" over all others only applies to members of his own Fatah faction.