Despite reforms promising to end stipends for terrorists and their families, US State Department tells Congress the Palestinian Authority is continuing to pay benefits to terrorists under its “pay-to-slay” program.By David Rosenberg, World Israel NewsThe Palestinian Authority is continuing to provide stipends to jailed terrorists and the families of slain terrorists, the Trump administration said in a report to Congress this week.According to a statement issued on Wednesday, the State Department informed Congress that the Palestinian Authority failed to meet the requirements of the Taylor Force Act, citing continued payments and benefits to Palestinian terrorists and their families despite changes to the payment system.In a report to Congress covering September 2025 through February 2026, the department said the secretary of state was unable to certify that the PA, the PLO and affiliated organizations had met the law’s conditions.“The PA continues to provide a system of compensation in support of terrorism through new mechanisms and under a different name,” the report said.According to the report, Israel said the PA provided $156 million in payments and benefits in 2025 to Palestinian terrorists, released prisoners and the families of terrorists killed while carrying out attacks.Of that, $126 million went to terrorists and released prisoners, while $30 million went to families of dead terrorists.The State Department said the PA’s shift to a new welfare framework, the Palestinian National Foundation for Economic Empowerment, did not bring it into compliance with the Taylor Force Act because specific payments to terrorists and their families continued.The report cited PA finance chief Estephan Salameh, who said in February that the PA had not abandoned prisoners or the families of “martyrs” and wounded Palestinian terrorists.“We have not abandoned any Palestinian resident, whether they are prisoners or families of Martyrs and wounded,” Salameh said, according to the report. “This is a clear fundamental issue.”The department also said Palestinian leadership continued using official channels to notify released prisoners about steps needed to receive continued compensation.The report cited Palestinian Media Watch as saying several released terrorists involved in deadly attacks were owed accumulated payments and were set to receive monthly stipends from the PA.The State Department also accused PA officials of failing to condemn violence against US and Israeli citizens and of continuing to glorify terrorism.It cited PA chairman Mahmoud Abbas’ religious affairs adviser Mahmoud Al-Habbash, who blamed Israel after the December 2025 Bondi Beach terror attack in Australia.The report also referred to a November 2025 IMPACT-se review that found PA textbooks continued to include material glorifying jihad and martyrdom.Despite the failure to certify compliance, the department said no Economic Support Funds were withheld under the Taylor Force Act because no covered funds were provided during the reporting period.The post US confirms Palestinian Authority continuing to pay terrorists under ‘pay-to-slay’ appeared first on World Israel News.