The Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) praises Senator Ted Cruz (R–TX) and 31 other legislators in their call for the closure of the PLO Office in Washington, D.C. The ZOA supports their position, since Mahmoud Abbas’ Palestinian Authority (PA) has never fulfilled its obligations under the Oslo Accords to outlaw terrorist groups, extradite terrorists, confiscate illegal weaponry and end the incitement to hatred and murder in the PA-controlled, media, mosques, schools and youth camps that fuels the conflict. The PA even gives pensions to families of Jew-killing terrorists. And the larger the number of Jews murdered-the larger the pension. President Obama and Secretary of State Kerry say nothing about any of these PA terrorist actions. The PA should be placed on the US list of terrorist entities, and should not have an office in our Capital.
In their letter to Secretary John Kerry, Senator Cruz and the 31 further legislators said, “The United States government has an obligation to publicly denounce the PLO’s actions and should immediately revoke its waiver. Allowing the PLO to maintain an office in Washington, D.C. provides no benefit to the United States or the peace process. Closing the PLO office in Washington, D.C. would send a clear statement that the kind of incitement to violence perpetrated by the PLO and its leaders will not be tolerated” (‘State Department dismisses Cruz demand to close PLO office,’ The Hill, December 22, 2015).
In the last three months, the Palestinian Authority (PA), has incited violence against Israel by lying to the Palestinian public, claiming Israel is intending to harm the Al Aqsa Mosque on Jerusalem’s Temple Mount, urging Palestinians to attack Jews lawfully and peaceably visiting the Temple Mount and praising the terrorists and their stabbing attacks upon Israeli Jews. Last week, Abbas described these terrorist attacks, which have claimed the lives of twenty Israelis, as “justified popular unrest.”
ZOA National President Morton A. Klein said, “We applaud Senator Cruz and the co-signing legislators on their strong, unambiguous and principled stand to close the representative office of Mahmoud Abbas and the PA, who have proved by their pro-terror, anti-peace actions that they are neither moderates nor peace-makers.
“Put quite simply, the PLO does not merit the diplomatic immunity and the status that comes with it. President Obama gave Abbas’ PA this upgrade despite the fact that the PA has not altered its behavior, even while receiving annually hundred of millions of dollars in US tax-payer funded aid.
“There must be negative consequence for the PA’s pro-terror, anti-peace actions, not positive rewards.
“By opposing this proposed closure, President Obama refuses to acknowledge that upgrading the PLO office and giving it unmerited rewards was a mistake. He also sends a message to the PA that there is no need for it to honor signed agreements or reform itself to earn any concessions or rewards.”
The following is a list of the letter’s signatories:
Senator Ted Cruz (R–TX)
Mark Meadows (R–NC)
Ilan Ros-Lehtinen (R–FL)
Randy Weber (R–TX)
Jeff Duncan (R–SC)
Doug Lamborn (R–CO)
Scott DesJarlais (R–TN)
Ron DeSantis (R–FL)
Mario Diaz-Balart (R–FL)
Scott Perry (R–PA)
Carlos Curbelo (R–FL)
Jeff Miller (R–FL)
Jody Hice (R–GA)
Tim Huelskamp (R–KS)
Lee Zeldin (R–NY)
Gary Palmer (R–AL)
John Fleming (R–LA)
Matt Salmon (R–AZ)
Ted Yoho (R–FL)
Bill Posey (R–FL)
David Schweikert (R–AZ)
Paul A. Gosar (R–AZ)
Morgan Griffith (R–VA)
Stevan Pearce (R–NM)
Ken Calvert (R–CA)
Marlin Stutzman (R–CA)
Scott Garrett (R–NJ)
Curt Clawson (R–FL)
David B. McKinley (R–WV)
Jim Jordan (R–OH)
Alex Mooney (R–WV)
David Brat (R–VA)