US claims PA’s prisoner payments reform a con, dismissing audit that suggests otherwise

The US State Department has accused the Palestinian Authority (PA) of attempting to deceive the international community regarding reforms to its welfare system, which previously linked payments to Palestinian security prisoners with sentence length. Despite an external audit by Alvarez & Marsal (A&M) suggesting the reform is largely implemented, the US dismisses its findings, claiming the audit only examined the new institution, Tamkeen, and overlooked "clandestine bypass channels" for payments to terrorists and their families. The PA commissioned the audit to demonstrate compliance with international demands and US legislation like the Taylor Force Act, hoping to resume US aid. However, the State Department insists the PA has not published the full audit and must prove it has genuinely and irreversibly ended "pay-for-slay" payments. Israeli officials echo US skepticism, asserting that payments continue covertly and that only intelligence agencies can detect them.