SWC Demands International Red Cross Stop Facilitating “Pay-to-Slay” Payments to Palestinian Terrorists

March 19, 2024

The Simon Wiesenthal Center demanded that the International Red Cross (ICRC) stop providing Palestinian terrorists convicted of murdering Israelis with documentation that is used by the Palestinian Authority to certify recipients of its “pay-to-slay” law which pays a stipend to the families of Palestinian terrorists who murder and maim Israelis.

The Palestinian Authority's 'Pay for Slay' statute financially rewards Palestinian prisoners and the families of deceased terrorists who have killed Israelis.  Documents provided by the ICRC are crucial for enabling terrorists in Israeli prisons to receive these financial rewards, a practice that facilitates terrorism and hatred.

According to recent reports by Palestinian Media Watch (PMW), the ICRC knowingly provides legal paperwork to convicted Palestinian terrorists that the Palestinian Authority requires before providing “pay-to-slay” payments.  

PMW quoted Qadura Fares, head of the PLO Prisoner Affairs Authority, who says that payments from the ICRC are “an essential partner in the process that enables the payment of rewards to the imprisoned Palestinians.”  

Rabbi Abraham Cooper, Associate Dean and Director of Global Social Action Agenda for SWC said, “The International Red Cross has a history of complete indifference to the safety and welfare of Jews going back more than 75 years.  During World War II, the International Red Cross completely ignored the murder of Jews in Nazi concentration camps.  To date, the Red Cross has not visited Israeli hostages in Gaza.  And now we learn that the Red Cross is not only indifferent, but complicit in facilitating payments to murderers of Israelis.  At minimum, the International Red Cross should withdraw its involvement in a process that makes them partners in rewarding and encouraging terrorism.”

For further information, please email Michele Alkin, Director of Global Communications at malkin@wiesenthal.com or Erik Simon at esimon@wiesenthal.com, join the Center on Facebook, or follow @simonwiesenthal for news updates sent directly to your Twitter feed. 

The Simon Wiesenthal Center is an international Jewish human rights organization. It holds consultative status at the United Nations, UNESCO, the OSCE, the Council of Europe, the OAS, and the Latin American Parliament (PARLATINO).