A group of Republican U.S. senators recently introduced the Taylor Force Act to require the secretary of state to certify that the Palestinian Authority has ended its policy of funding terrorists and their families.
The bill was introduced by U.S. Sens. Tom Cotton (R-AR), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Dan Coats (R-IN) and Roy Blunt (R-MO). U.S. Sens. Marco Rubio (R-FL), Mark Kirk (R-IL) and Ted Cruz (R-TX) all signed the bill as cosponsors.
“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,” Cotton said. “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.”
The bill would also call on the Palestinian Authority to publicly condemn acts of violence and take steps to cooperate on investigations to bring perpetrators to justice. Additionally, the bill would terminate payments for acts of terrorism against the United States and Israeli citizens to any individual who has been imprisoned after being convicted of terrorist acts, to any individual who died committing a terrorist act, or to family members of those individuals.
“This legislation shines a light on a very real problem,” Graham said. “Why is the Palestinian Authority paying young Palestinians to commit acts of terror against innocent Americans like Taylor Force or Israelis? The Palestinians need to decide – do they condemn these horrible acts or do they reward them? You can’t be a partner in peace when you are paying people to commit terrorist acts. The choice the Palestinians make will determine the type of relationship they have with the United States in the years to come.”