The Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) has praised and strongly supports Congressional efforts to end $500 million/year in US taxpayer-funded aid to Mahmoud Abbas’ Palestinian Authority (PA) until it ends paying Palestinian Arabs $300 million per year to murder Jews. Under PA law families of Jew killers are paid lifetime salaries if their family members have murdered a Jew. And shockingly the more Jews they’ve murdered the higher the salary! The ZOA commends Senators Roy Blunt (R–MO), John Boozman (R–AK), Richard Burr (R–NC), Tom Cotton (R-AK), Ted Cruz (R–TX), Lindsey Graham (R–SC), Marco Rubio (R–FL), Tim Scott (R–SC) and John Thune (R–SD), along with US Representatives Doug Lamborn (R–CO) and Lee Zeldin (R–NY) to introduce The Taylor Force Act, which would cut off funding to the PA if it continues its policy of paying monetary rewards to terrorists and their surviving family members. The ZOA also praises the Trump Administration for signaling support for this legislative initiative.

A senior White House official has said that the Administration will sign it into law if it is passed in Congress, saying, “The Palestinian Authority’s use of its resources to provide material support for terrorism—indiscriminately targeted at American and Israeli civilians—is a grotesque example of how well-intentioned US generosity can be turned against us.” 

Senator Blunt said, “We can’t continue to financially support a government who looks to the so-called martyrs schedule … It’s an outrageous concept to be in law anywhere … You can either stop doing what you’re doing or you won’t have our money at least to do it with. We shouldn’t allow killers and ruthless attackers to become recognized as martyrs in a system that we’re part of.”

Senator Graham said, “Most Americans have no idea this is a problem. Not only are Israelis victims of this practice, Americans are victims of this practice. We’re going to change this. We’re going to get the Palestinian Authority’s attention by withholding their money … “I want people to understand who America is when it comes to the one and only Jewish state.”

Senator Cruz said, “After eight years of the Obama administration, the U.S. must take long overdue action to hold the Palestinian leadership accountable for incentivizing and rewarding acts of terrorism … Roughly $300 million annually is provided in monthly salaries and benefits to terrorists jailed in Israel, their families, and the families of those who died committing such horrific atrocities against Israeli and American citizens, including Taylor Force. Enough is enough. We must stand up for victims of Palestinian terrorism. No more US taxpayer dollars should be provided until the Palestinian leadership stops engaging in this heinous practice. The incitement and glorification of terrorism must end.” (Adam Kredo, ‘Trump Admin, Congress Behind Effort to Cut U.S. Aid to Palestinians,’ Washington Free Beacon, February 28, 2017).

Senator Cruz also said that, “The US must hold the Palestinian leadership accountable for continuing this heinous practice of incentivizing and rewarding terrorism by providing monthly salaries and benefits to terrorists, their families, and the families of those who died committing acts of terrorism. We must ensure US taxpayer dollars are not being used to fund and enable Palestinian terrorism and stand with Israel against radical Islamic terrorism that targets citizens from both of our countries.”

Senator Rubio said, “It’s unacceptable that our taxpayer dollars are still being used by the Palestinian Authority to pay terrorists who have Israeli and American blood on their hands, and to brainwash young Palestinians to hate Israel and the Jewish people. The U.S should condition assistance to the Palestinian Authority on it stopping these despicable practices.”

Senator Scott said, “These reprehensible and senseless acts of terror have no room in our modern world and we should seek all available resources to stop the evil that has claimed too many innocent lives.”

Senator Cotton said, “This legislation will honor [Taylor Force’s] memory by making sure no taxpayer money rewards the kinds of terrorists who took this young man’s life.”

Senator Boozman said, “The Palestinian Authority must be held accountable for rewarding and encouraging terrorism. We must prevent American tax dollars from being used to support government sponsored terror.”

Representative Lamborn said, “After last year’s brutal murder of Taylor Force, Israelis and Americans mourned the loss of Force, as well as the wounding of 10 others, including a pregnant woman. Meanwhile, the Palestinian Authority praised the murderer.  Mahmoud Abbas, president of the Palestinian Authority refused to condemn the attack, and the official Fatah Facebook page posted a statement of praise to the ‘martyrs.’ Attacks like these will continue until we use our power of the purse to actually hold the PA accountable.  Our bill, the Taylor Force Act, does just that … no taxpayer dollars to the Palestinian Authority until it condemns terrorism and stops payments to terrorists.

Representative Zeldin said, “United States taxpayers should not be forced to provide their hard earned money to a Palestinian Authority that is inciting violence and financially rewarding terrorist attacks targeting innocent Americans and Israelis. Taylor Force was a United States veteran and American hero who was murdered by a Palestinian terrorist given full honors by the PA at his funeral and called a ‘martyr.’ This is so completely wrong and unacceptable” (‘Sen. Cruz Joins Colleagues to Reintroduce Bill to Halt Palestinian Authority Funding Until Terror Rewards Stop,’ press release, March 1, 2017).

ZOA National President Morton A. Klein said, “We wholeheartedly support these Congressional efforts to legislate an end to funding of Mahmoud Abbas’ PA until and unless it ceases its nazi-like promotion of incitement to hatred and murder of Jews, glorification of terrorists, paying salaries to jailed terrorists and stipends to the families of dead terrorists.

“We are particularly pleased that the Trump Administration is supporting these efforts and will sign it into law if the legislation is passed in Congress.

“Mahmoud Abbas not only fails to condemn outright vicious terrorism, but also glorifies the murderous act of Taylor Force’s killer as well as those of countless other terrorists from the PA. By doing so, Abbas helps to foster a climate of incitement to murder and hatred, and is no peace partner, but, in fact heads an ugly murderous, Jew-hating regime that would have made Hitler proud. 

“It is high time to terminate American taxpayer aid to the “pay to slay” PA, which is financing a terror-promoting regime, and its media that daily broadcasts vicious incitement to hatred and murder of innocent Jews.