"The Palestinian Authority spent 1.23 billion shekels ($358 million) on payments to terrorists and their families last year, the Defense Ministry said Tuesday. The figure represents 7% of the Palestinian Authority's total budget for 2017.
In 2016, the Palestinian Authority spent 1.15 billion shekels ($322 million) on terrorists' stipends.
The Defense Ministry released the figures as part of the government's work on the so-called 'terrorist wages bill,' which passed its preliminary Knesset reading in June 2017.
According to the latest figures, each terrorist serving a three- to five-year sentence in an Israeli prison receives a monthly stipend equivalent to NIS 2,000 ($580).
Terrorists serving a life sentence receive a monthly stipend amounting to NIS 10,000 ($2,900)...
To compare, the average monthly salary of Palestinians in the West Bank amounts to about $580.
The legislative proposal, spearheaded by the Defense and Justice ministries, seeks to hinder the PA's terrorist stipend mechanism.
It stipulates that at the end of every year, the defense minister will present the Ministerial Committee on National Security with a report detailing the direct and indirect payments the Palestinian Authority has made to terrorists and their families. The figure will then be deducted from PA tax funds collected by Israel..."