Abbas risks Palestinian backlash over overhaul of prisoner payments

President Mahmoud Abbas faced criticism from allies and foes alike on Tuesday over a decree overhauling payments to families of Palestinians killed or jailed by Israel, a move to satisfy a US demand that will likely deepen his unpopularity.

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Palestinian Authority leader Abbas, 89, issued the decree on Monday overturning the system, long condemned by critics as rewarding attacks on Israel but viewed among Palestinians as a vital source of welfare for detainees' families.

The sudden announcement seems aimed at removing a potential source of tension with US President Donald Trump and an attempt to preserve the PA's role as Washington bolsters its pro-Israeli approach to the conflict, Palestinian analysts said.

"The goal is to try to open a good page with Trump at a time when Trump has completely turned his back on the Palestinians by calling for displacement" of Palestinians from Gaza, said Hani AI Masri, a Palestinian political analyst in Ramallah.

Scrapping the system of salarytype payments, dubbed "pay for slay" by critics a label rejected by Palestinians has been a major demand of successive US administrations. Abbas had long resisted pressure to halt the programme.