A newly released draft of a Palestinian constitution formally enshrines the pay-for-slay program for families of terrorists, omits any recognition of Jewish historical connections to Jerusalem, calls for Sharia law and appears to support the “right of return” for descendants of Palestinians displaced in 1948.

The document shows that financial rewards for terrorists and their families remain a central priority for the PA, despite  publicly scrapping the policy last year in a bid to gain Western favor as many European countries backed the creation of a Palestinian state. The payments further restricted US aid to the PA under the Taylor Force Act.

The first article of the draft declares that Palestine is “part of the Arab homeland” and that “the Palestinian people are part of the Arab nation,” presenting a foundational vision for the future state as seen by Palestinian Authority leadership.

Despite the PA’s publicly secular stance and previously stated commitment to a free democracy, Article four establishes Islam as the official religion and Islamic Sharia as the primary source of legislation. While Christianity is granted protected status, Judaism is completely absent from the text.

Article XXIV assigns the future Palestinian state the duty to “work to provide protection and care for the families of martyrs (sic), wounded, and prisoners, and those released from the occupation prisons and the victims of genocide (sic),” directly enshrining pay-for-slay in law.

Last year, PA President Mahmoud Abbas announced the formal cancellation of the terror rewards program, saying payments to terrorist prisoners and “Martyrs’” families would be shifted to general social welfare. Yet article XXIV signals that the financial backing of terror perpetrators remains central to the PA’s priorities.

The document was released under the direct order of Mahmoud Abbas. It repeatedly mentions a so-called “right of return” without clarifying that it applies only to a future Palestinian state.

The preamble describes the constitution as “a tribute to the continuous Palestinian struggle that has never ceased and to the diplomatic and political efforts exerted over decades to recover international recognition… while the dream of return remains alive in the hearts of Palestinians everywhere, generation after generation.”

Later, the draft defines the right of return as inalienable, in the same article that identifies the PLO as “the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people.”

“Until the achievement of full national independence and the realization of inalienable rights, primarily the right of return according to international law and international legitimacy resolutions, the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) remains the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people in all their places of residence. The Organization continues to perform its national responsibilities according to the National Covenant.”