Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has appealed to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, calling on him to prevent Palestinian Authority (PA) Chairman Mahmoud Abbas from returning to Ramallah.

Calling Abbas by his nickname, Smotrich said, "Abu Mazen's pilgrimage to [Turkish President Recep Tayyip] Erdogan, who openly declares his antisemitic aspiration to destroy the State of Israel, once again reveals the true face of Abu Mazen: an enemy who heads a terrorist authority that encourages and finances terrorism against the State of Israel."

"I call on the Prime Minister to seize this opportunity and prevent him from reentering Israel and Judea and Samaria. The Palestinian Terrorist Authority must be dismantled."

Last year, despite signing a decree ordering an end to the Palestinian Authority’s (PA) policy of paying stipends to terrorists who murdered Israelis - also known as "pay-to-slay" - Abbas told the Fatah Revolutionary Council that the PA would continue its payments to terrorists even if it only had a single penny left.

The PA chairman stated that the prisoners and "martyrs" are the "most dear" to Palestinian Arabs, and he would not allow payments to them to be reduced.

That same year,Wafa reported that the Palestinian Authority's General Intelligence Service had transferred financial aid to the families of terrorists. Adnan Abu Ayash, director of general intelligence in the Jenin district, said that the move was being carried out in accordance with Mahmoud Abbas' declaration that "even if there is not a penny left, it will be given to the families of the shahids and prisoners."

A report by i24NEWS states that in 2025 the Palestinian Authority transferred approximately half a billion shekels in payments to terrorists and their families. Details presented during a cabinet meeting revealed that 395 million shekels were allocated to terrorists currently imprisoned, while 92 million shekels were paid to families of terrorists killed while carrying out attacks. Terrorists released during the recent hostage agreements were also granted a special payment.

This is not new: For years, PA officials have remained defiant about the issue of payments to terrorists and have made clear that the PA will never cease paying terrorists' salaries.

Abbas has in the past called the PA's continued payments to terrorists a "red line" that would not be halted under any circumstances.

In a 2017 interview with Al-Quds Al-Arabi, Abbas stated that, "Israel incites the US to see prisoners and martyrs as terrorists. They are soldiers and the sons of our nation...and they are the martyrs of the Palestinian people. And since then (1965), we have provided them [and their families] with allowances."

"Israel and the US says that this is supporting terrorism...I will not back down on this issue. The families of the martyrs will continue to receive their allowances in full." he added.

In response to the question of whether the allowances will continue to be extended to prisoners in Israeli prisons, Abbas answered, "certainly."