Palestinian Authority says bill to withhold terrorists’ salaries is "piracy and theft of money".

The Palestinian Authority (PA) government on Sunday blasted Israel after the Ministerial Committee for Legislation approved a proposed bill to withhold terrorists’ salaries.

The bill, promoted by Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman, will offset salaries and monies that the PA transfers to terrorists and their families from the tax revenues that Israel collects for the PA.

In a statement on the PA’s official Wafa news agency, the PA government slammed the approval of the law “as a piracy, a theft of money, and yet another crime added to the Israeli occupations’ ongoing crimes committed against the Palestinian people.”

“The government affirmed that such a decision is invalid under international law,” the statement said.

It was recently revealed that the amount of money transferred by the PA to terrorists and their families reaches more than one billion shekels a year.

Over 550 million shekels ($159,274,500) was paid to imprisoned and released terrorists, and the families of suicide and injured terrorists received approximately 687 million shekels ($198,948,330). These payments total 1.237 billion shekels ($358 million), or about 7% of the PA's total annual budget.

PA statistics show the average terrorist sitting in jail for 3-5 years will receive 2,000 shekels ($579.18) per month, and a terrorist sentenced to 20-35 years in prison will receive 10,000 shekels ($2895.90) per month for the rest of his or her life. A married terrorist will receive an additional 300 shekels per month, as well as 50 shekels per month for each child.

The terrorists receive the money according to a set payscale, with Israeli Arabs’ wages rising significantly: A terrorist from Jerusalem will receive an additional 300 shekels per month, and an Israeli Arab will receive an additional 500 shekels per month.

Liberman on Sunday welcomed the committee’s approval of the legislation.

"The 'Bill to Offset Terrorist Salaries' that I initiated was approved by the Ministerial Committee for Legislation. Soon this theater of absurd will end and the terrorists’ salaries taken from [PA chairman] Abu Mazen will be used to prevent terrorism and compensate victims," he said.