Palestinian Authority (PA) cabinet leader Mohammad Shtayyeh reiterated on Sunday his cabinet’s commitment to supporting the families of the “martyrs” and prisoners, many of whom were and are terrorists who carried out terrorist attacks against Israelis or planned such terrorist attacks.
In a speech at the main event marking Palestinian Martyrs' Day in Ramallah, Shtayyeh said, "We want the families of the martyrs and the prisoners to live with dignity."
He clarified that the Palestinian Authority will deal with all the pressure exerted on it and will continue to meet its obligations to them as it is a national and moral commitment.
Shtayyeh further said that “the martyrs illuminated the way for us and turned their bodies into a bridge for us and said 'from here you will move towards the homeland, the state, liberty and independence, and the road is still long.'"
The goals of the "moral" Palestinian resistance are, according to the PA cabinet leader, "the removal of the occupation, the establishment of an independent, sovereign state, the parts of which are connected, sustainable, its capital in East Jerusalem, and the return of refugees."
"In the name of the martyrs, we will defeat this occupation," stated Shtayyeh, who noted that the Palestinians will continue to adhere to their rights in the homeland and will not back down from them and anything that has to do with Palestine.
PA officials have remained defiant about the issue of payments to terrorists and have made clear that the PA will never cease paying terrorists' salaries.
PA chairman Mahmoud Abbas has in the past called the PA's continued payments to terrorists a "red line" that would not be halted under any circumstances.