The Biden administration has reportedly allocated nearly $100 million in U.S. aid for the Palestinians, despite their continuing failure to recognize the Jewish state of Israel.
The Associated Press reported on Wednesday that the Biden administration has quietly resumed funding the Palestinians. On March 26, a day after the administration announced $15 million in coronavirus assistance to the West Bank and Gaza, it notified Congress that it will give $75 million in economic assistance to the Palestinians “to be used in part to regain their ‘trust and goodwill.'” This follows heavy cuts to U.S. aid under the Trump administration.
Unfortunately, there is no “trust and goodwill” when it comes to the Palestinians, who condone, conduct, and reward terrorism against Israelis, namely, Jews. Congress was right to pass, and the Trump administration was right to enact, in 2018, the Taylor Force Act, which prohibits U.S. assistance from going to the Palestinian Authority as long as Ramallah financially rewards terrorists and their families. Additionally, there is the Anti-Terrorism Clarification Act of 2018, which gives protections to American victims of international terrorism.
Although this new assistance from the Biden administration will not go to the Palestinian Authority, but rather to Palestinian civic groups — the Palestinians should not be given taxpayer dollars unless their leaders make peace with Israel — something that they have refused to do. Over the decades, Palestinian leaders have repeatedly rejected numerous peace offers. Instead, they have made statements calling for the Jewish state’s destruction.
There’s another point to note here. According to a Government Accountability Office report released on Monday, between fiscal years 2015 and 2019, while the U.S. Agency for International Development fully complied with the agency’s anti-terrorism policy and procedures regarding economic support to the West Bank and Gaza, USAID “did not consistently ensure that subawards were in compliance.” There were also “gaps in compliance for the vetting and mandatory provisions requirements at the subaward level.”
How can we be confident this money will get to the people who need it most and not the terrorists who want to use it for violence?
We can’t be confident at all.
Pro-Israel organizations should challenge this assistance package, scheduled to take effect on April 10. This is a matter of law: namely, the Taylor Force Act and the Anti-Terrorism Clarification Act. Organizations outside the Jewish and pro-Israel community should support such lawsuits.
Republicans have already sued the Biden administration on a number of issues, so the idea of taking the Biden administration to court over the resumption of aid to the Palestinians should not be problematic. However, aside from the law, there’s a moral cause for action here. We must act to preserve the memory of those, including Americans such as Malki Roth and Judy Greenbaum, who have been victims of Palestinian terrorism.
Jackson Richman was most recently the Washington correspondent for JNS.org. Follow him on Twitter: @jacksonrichman.
