Senators Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Dan Coats (R-IN) and Roy Blunt (R-MO) introduced the Taylor Force Act, which would require the US secretary of state to verify the PA has ended its policy of paying monetary rewards to terrorists and their surviving family members.
A group of leading Republican senators introduced legislation seeking to cut off funding to the Palestinian Authority (PA) if they continue their policy of paying monetary rewards for terrorism.
Senators Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Dan Coats (R-IN) and Roy Blunt (R-MO) introduced the Taylor Force Act, which would require the US secretary of state to verify the PA has ended its policy of paying monetary rewards to 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, called the Taylor Force Act, was named after the American veteran 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 West Point Military Academy. He was in Israel as part of a Vanderbilt University school trip.
“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.”
The Republican Jewish Coalition released a statement saying that “ending the PA’s funding of terrorism shouldn’t be a partisan issue, and we urge everyone –Republicans, Democrats, and Independents – to stand with this important legislation.”
By: JNS.org