New York, NY, August 3, 2017 … The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) today applauded the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for bipartisan adoption of the Taylor Force Act (TFA), which conditions American aid to the Palestinians on ending the Palestinian Authority’s (PA) practice of paying families of jailed and deceased terrorists. ADL urged the Senate and House to support the act.
The bill, named in honor of Taylor Force, a U.S. Army veteran who was brutally murdered in Jaffa last year, would make clear to the Palestinians that the U.S. finds support for terrorists unacceptable, and incentivizes them to proactively end this disturbing practice.
“It is time for the Palestinian Authority to bring an end to the disturbing practice of rewarding Palestinian terrorism through payments to terrorists and their families,” said Jonathan A. Greenblatt, ADL CEO. “This bill sends a clear message that the U.S. will no longer tolerate the Palestinian Authority’s practice of venerating and protecting those who carry out acts of terror, which only fuels more terrorism.”
Essential security cooperation between Israel and the PA’s security forces must continue. Steps should also be taken to ensure the Palestinian Authority does not face economic collapse, which would have severe consequences for both Palestinians and Israelis.
The bill compels the U.S. State Department to cut off funding to the PA if they direct any funds toward terrorists or their families. The PA would also be required to take “credible steps” against incitement to violence against Israelis and Americans.
To complement the legislation, ADL supports bilateral and multilateral incentives including direct pressure from the U.S., Europeans and others to compel the Palestinian Authority to stop paying terrorist families and to crack down on anti-Israel incitement from leading Palestinian political and religious figures.
The Anti-Defamation League was founded in 1913 to stop the defamation of the Jewish people and to secure justice and fair treatment to all. Today it is the world’s leading organization combating anti-Semitism, exposing hate groups, training law enforcement on hate crimes, developing anti-bias curricula for students, countering cyber-hate and relentlessly pursuing equal rights for all.
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