Palestinian Authority Cuts Salaries of Prisoners and Families Amid Political Pressure

Watan-A source close to Palestinian prisoner affairs institutions revealed that dozens of released prisoners, former female detainees, and families of incarcerated individuals have contacted the relevant agencies after discovering their financial entitlements were missing from Palestinian post offices.

According to a source who spoke to Al-Quds Al-Arabi, it appears likely that a political decision has been made to suspend the salaries of current and former prisoners.

The agencies responsible for the prisoner file had submitted their regular monthly payrolls to the Palestinian Ministry of Finance but were surprised—like the affected families—that no payments were issued.

The full picture remains unclear, with no official statement from prisoner institutions. However, many families fear that these salary cuts will continue as part of a politically motivated trend.

Among those affected is freed detainee Hanan Barghouti, along with her husband and sons—all current or former prisoners. She is the sister of exiled leader Nael Barghouti and the late prominent activist Omar Barghouti, and aunt of martyr Saleh and prisoner Assem.

The Waed Association for Prisoners and Freed Detainees condemned the PA’s action, stating that 1,612 prisoners still behind bars have been affected, in addition to hundreds of others over the years. The group accused the PA of using vague justifications such as “national interest” and “protecting international funding.”

In a press release, Waed said these measures violate national, moral, and human responsibilities and are part of a dangerous pattern of marginalizing those who sacrificed their freedom for Palestinian dignity.

Waed also rejected any cooperation with the Tamkeen Economic Foundation, describing it as an administrative tool used to humiliate families of martyrs, wounded, and prisoners, and undermine long-established, credible national institutions.

The Freedom Legal Network also condemned the salary cuts, emphasizing that the issue is not merely financial but a sovereign national matter rooted in the Palestinian right to resistance. They called the cuts a political and moral crime, demanding immediate reversal.

Tensions peaked after “Tamkeen” launched a controversial online social assessment form to determine aid eligibility, prompting backlash from prisoner organizations. These institutions argued that the approach disrespects the sacrifices of detainees and their families.

Soon after, President Mahmoud Abbas issued a presidential decree annulling legal articles related to financial support for families of prisoners, martyrs, and the wounded. This transferred all database and payment responsibilities from the Ministry of Social Development to the National Palestinian Economic Empowerment Institution (Tamkeen).

Head of the Prisoners’ Authority Qadura Fares publicly urged Abbas to revoke the decision. Within days, Fares was dismissed—shortly after he openly opposed the cancellation of these entitlements.

Founded in 2019, Tamkeen was originally established to aid economically vulnerable families. Its intrusion into the prisoner file, however, has drawn intense criticism from factions and civil society alike.

These developments unfold under mounting Israeli and American pressure on the PA to halt stipends to prisoners and martyrs, which Israel routinely labels as “terror financing.” It has even used this as a pretext to freeze Palestinian tax revenues.

Observers warn that cutting these salaries poses a severe threat to thousands of families, especially those fully dependent on a son or husband’s prisoner stipend—often their only source of income.