BREAKING: Abbas ends "pay for slay" payments in surprise decree 

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has issued a decree on Monday revoking the payment system to families of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prison or to families of Palestinian terrorists (AKA "Pay for Slay"), according to Barak Ravid of Axios.

The prisoner stipends - termed "pay for slay" by the first Trump administration - were a primary concern for the Biden administration as it was preparing to re-engage with the Palestinians.The prisoner stipends - termed "pay for slay" by the Trump administration - are a primary concern for the Biden administration as it prepares to re-engage with the Palestinians.

The presidential decree issued by Mahmoud Abbas states that from now on, Palestinian families will be able to turn to the Palestinian Authority's welfare authorities and request assistance and allowances according to their financial situation.

Canceling payments to the families of prisoners and terrorists killed in the course of terrorist attacks has been one of the main demands of Israel and the United States from the Palestinian Authority for years. Israel passed legislation stating that as long as payments to the families of terrorists continue, Israel will deduct these sums from the taxes it collects for the Palestinian Authority.

The US Congress also passed similar legislation a few years ago, according to which as long as the Palestinian Authority pays allowances to the families of terrorists, the United States will not transfer direct economic aid to the Palestinian Authority.

A senior Palestinian official told Walla that the Palestinian Authority had informed the Trump administration in advance about the move. According to him, the move was ready to be launched toward the end of Biden's term, but the Palestinian Authority decided to wait for Trump to take office in order to give the achievement to the new administration.

Senior Palestinian and American officials told Walla that the Biden administration and the Palestinian Authority had already updated Israel several months ago about the planned change.

Then-US Secretary of State Tony Blinken's advisor Hadi Amar and Biden's adviser Brett McGurk updated National Security Advisor Tzachi Hanegbi and other senior officials in the National Security Council, Minister Ron Dermer and senior Shin Bet officials on the issue.

Hanegbi and the National Security Council, as well as Shin Bet Director Ronen Bar and his staff, supported the plan, but Minister Dermer had reservations about it, saying that he did not believe it would bring about real change.