(AP/Majdi Mohammed/File)

The Taylor Force Act cuts all funding to the Palestinian Authority until it stops financially rewarding terrorists. We must ensure this bill becomes law!

A group of lawmakers from both sides of the aisle reintroduced legislation in March that requires the US to cut all funding to the Palestinian Authority (PA) until it ceases financial rewards for terrorism.

The Taylor Force Act would require the US Secretary of State to verify that the PA has ended its policy of paying off terrorists and their surviving family members. The bill also calls on the PA to publicly condemn terror attacks and to take steps to bring the perpetrators to justice.

The legislation was named after American war veteran Taylor Force, who was stabbed to death in a Palestinian terror attack that left 10 others wounded in Jaffa last March. Force, 29, served tours of duty in the US Army in Iraq and Afghanistan and was a graduate of the prestigious West Point Military Academy. He was in Israel as part of a Vanderbilt University trip.

Under PA rules, the more heinous the act of terror committed, the greater the reward.

PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah faction praised the terrorist who murdered Force as a “heroic martyr,” and the PA has yet to condemn the attack.

“This legislation shines a light on a very real problem,” stated Lindsey Graham (R-SC) when he introduced the bill. “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.”

The US provides the PA with approximately $300 million in aid annually. The PA makes approximately $300 million in payments to terrorists and their families every year.

The Taylor Force Act was passed 17-4 in a bipartisan vote by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in August.

Congressman Ed Royce (R-CA), Chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and Congressman Eliot Engel (D-NY), Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, both support this crucial bill.

The House Foreign Affairs Committee will consider the Taylor Force Act on Wednesday.

This Palestinian policy is outrageous and must be stopped immediately. US taxpayer dollars must not be used by the PA to reward terrorists and their families for acts of violence against Israel and for the murder of Israelis, Americans and citizens of other countries.

We must urge our representatives to ensure that H.R.1164/S.474 becomes law and is enforced to the letter!