A group of Republican senators introduced legislation Wednesday that would require the State Department to certify the Palestinian Authority has ended its policy of paying families of terrorists.
“This bill stands for a simple principle: U.S. taxpayer dollars should never be used to fund terror against our own citizens or our ally Israel,” Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton said in a statement. “The American people and the Israelis believe in helping the Palestinians build a better and more prosperous society. But that better society will never be possible if Palestinian leaders continue to funnel cash to terrorists and their families.
“The Obama administration and future administrations should hold Palestinian leadership accountable on this issue and tell them that as long as they continue to fund terror, they should not expect another dollar of U.S. economic assistance,” Cotton said.
The Taylor Force Act, named after an American who was killed in a March stabbing attack in Tel Aviv, would require the Palestinian Authority to certify it “is taking credible steps to end acts of violence” against American and Israeli citizens, discontinue making payments to the families of terrorists, and condemn acts terrorism.
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Force, a U.S. Army veteran, was killed during a trip as part of a Vanderbilt student group. The attacker, 22-year-old Bashar Masalha, was killed on the scene by Israeli security services. Authorities demolished his home in the West Bank village of Hajjah in June.
Why is Palestinian Authority paying young Palestinians to commit acts of terror against innocent Americans like Taylor Force or Israelis?
— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) September 28, 2016
The Middle East Media Research Institute estimates the Palestinian Authority invests nearly $140 million annually in salaries for terrorists killed or jailed in Israel. The Congressional Research Services estimated in March the U.S. has contributed an average of $250 million annually to the U.N. Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees since 2007.
In addition to Cotton, cosponsors for the legislation include Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, Indiana Sen. Dan Coats and Missouri Sen. Roy Blunt.
“Israel is one of our closest allies and a stalwart of democracy in the Middle East,” Blunt said in a statement of his own. “It would be absolutely unconscionable to allow U.S. taxpayer dollars to be used by the Palestinian Authority to reward convicted terrorists for acts of violence against Israel.”
