Despite President Donald Trump's demand from PA chairman Mahmoud Abbas to terminate the money transfers to the families of terrorists and to imprisoned terrorists and despite Abbas's showing willingness to accede to the request, it is now clear that Abbas was lying.
In recent days, Abbas has stressed that the transfers to terrorists will continue since this is not a reward for terror but rather a "social budget" which he is obligated to pay. Abbas stressed that he would even rather resign than stop the transfers.
Abbas's senior advisor Nabil Sha'at claimed that the payments were "social aid to treat innocent people who had been hurt either by being imprisoned or by the death of their loved ones as a result of the military occupation."
The head of the Palestinian Prisoners association, Kadoora Fares, claimed that international law approves of such payments and "no member of the PLO leadership can relent on this principle."