US calls on PA to release results of audit that Ramallah said proved it ended ‘pay-to-slay’

The US calls on the Palestinian Authority to publicly release the results of an audit of its new welfare program, which Ramallah said Friday had determined that recipients are not incentivized for carrying out attacks against Israelis.

“The PA announced that this audit occurred. However, it hasn’t released the results of it. We call on the PA to formally release the results of this audit so it can be subjected to public scrutiny,” a State Department spokesperson tells The Times of Israel.

The State Department statement also laments that the audit by international consulting firm Alvarez & Marsal (A&M) apparently only looked into the new welfare program itself, suggesting that payments rewarding Palestinian prisoners — dubbed “pay-to-slay” by critics — could be continuing through other institutions — a common Israeli talking point dismissing the PA reform.

The State Department spokesperson notes that US President Donald Trump’s 20-point plan for ending the Gaza conflict requires the PA to undergo comprehensive reforms, “including ending all payments to terrorists and their families,” before control of Gaza can be transferred to Ramallah.

“The PA must also end its incitement, glorification of violence, support for terrorism, and refusal to recognize Israel’s right to exist in its educational curriculum and material,” the State Department spokesperson says.