For decades, the PA has continued with its “Pay‑for‑Slay” terror-funding system. After 30 years of this “peace accord” farce, its time to finally scuttle the Oslo Accords.
By Hezy Laing
Thirty years after the signing of the Oslo Accords, Israel continues to uphold its obligations while the Palestinian Authority (PA) repeatedly violates core commitments.
The asymmetry has become especially stark in recent years, with Israel maintaining restrictions on Jewish building and continuing financial transfers, even as the PA engages in policies that glaringly violate both the spirit and letter of the agreements.
Under Oslo II (1995), Judea and Samaria was divided into Areas A, B and C. Israel retained full control only in Area C, while Areas A and B were placed under varying degrees of PA civil and security authority.
Israel continues to enforce a prohibition on Jewish construction in Areas A and B, even for small community expansions or infrastructure repairs.
Meanwhile, the PA has carried out large‑scale, coordinated construction in Area C, including thousands of housing units, agricultural outposts, and road networks.
This construction is part of a long‑term strategy to create “facts on the ground” and shift territorial control without negotiations.
For decades, the PA has continued with its “Pay‑for‑Slay” terror‑payment system.
According to publicly available PA budget documents and U.S. State Department reporting, the PA allocates approximately $300 million per year to payments for terrorists, released terrorists, and families of terrorists killed while carrying out attacks against Jews.
Israel, the United States, and several European governments have criticized this policy for decades, arguing that it incentivizes violence.
The PA defends the payments as social welfare for families affected by the conflict.
Despite being called a “Peace Accord, Arab terrorism actually spiked following the implementation of Oslo.
Hundreds of Israelis were massacred by Palestinian terrorists since the signing of the accords – many in horrific bus bombings that came immediately after Israel retreated from Arab population centers.
In the diplomatic arena, the PA pursued several illegal activities, including seeking recognition of a “State of Palestine” at the United Nations and joining the International Criminal Court (ICC), which violate the accords’ prohibition on unilateral actions.
Despite all these blatant PA violations, Israel has continued to faithfully uphold all its commitments, including the transfer of tax revenues to the PA under the Paris Protocol, the economic component of Oslo.
These revenues—customs duties and VAT collected by Israel on goods entering the Palestinian territories constitute an estimated 60–70% of the PA’s annual budget, according to various economic assessments.
Even during periods of heightened tension, Israel has maintained these transfers. These transfers effectively subsidize PA policies that violate Oslo’s commitments to prevent incitement and combat terrorism.
Upholding an agreement requires mutual commitment.
When one party blatantly breaks the contract, the agreement loses its legitimacy, transforming it from a binding pact into a one-sided imposition.
Continued compliance by one side is not honorable; it is exploitative, permitting the violator to exploit the rules while ignoring them.
Without reciprocal adherence, the contract is dead; upholding it alone is futile and only guarantees the compliant party faces loss.
After 30 years of this farce, it’s high time to finally scuttle the failed Oslo Accords.
