Times Square in New York City unveiled a new billboard on Friday that highlighted the Palestinian Authority's 'pay-for-slay' policy.
The billboard, created in collaboration with the Foreign Affairs Ministry, features a photo of Mahmoud Abbas, the President of the Palestinian Authority (PA) and Chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). The message read: "Palestinian Authority still pays for killing Jews - END PAY FOR SLAY."
This is not the first time Times Square has served as a prominent stage for the Israel-Palestine regional conflict and the Israel-Gaza war.
Times Square campaigns
In December, a billboard sponsored by the American Arab Discrimination Committee displayed the Christmas-themed message: “Jesus is Palestinian.”
Efforts to raise awareness about Israeli captives were also showcased at the New York landmark. The Israeli government purchased a billboard in Times Square to feature a video released by Hamas showing Israeli hostage Evyatar David, along with the message: “Hamas is starving the Israeli hostages - Ignored by the media, too busy echoing Hamas propaganda.”
The inclusion of the Palestinian Authority's 'pay-for-slay' policy (also known as the ‘Martyrs’ Fund’) in the Times Square campaign comes into focus as President Mahmoud Abbas ordered the publication of a draft constitution for a Palestinian state earlier this week.
Formalizing ''pay-for-slay''
The drafted constitution notably omits any mention of Jewish ties to Jerusalem, refers to greater Palestine as "part of the Arab homeland," and appears to formalize the continuation of the Palestinian Authority's controversial "'pay-for-slay'" policy, which provides financial stipends to families of convicted terrorists and terror suspects.
Article XXIV of the draft outlines the Palestinian state's commitment to "provide protection and care for the families of martyrs, the wounded, prisoners, and those released from occupation prisons, as well as victims of genocide."
It further states that Palestinian leadership will ensure "comprehensive care for the families of martyrs, the wounded, prisoners, and those released [from prison], in order to preserve their national dignity and meet their humanitarian and living needs."
This formalization of the 'pay-for-slay' policy comes after multiple attempts by the PA to deny its continued effect, following its reported cancellation in February 2025 when PA President Abbas signed a decree to end it.
Michael Starr, James Gunn, and Jerusalem Post staff contributed to this report.