Tuesday, March 23, 2021
Elder of ZiyonThe Biden administration privately confirmed to Congress last week that the Palestinian Authority has continued to use international aid money to reward terrorists but said the finding won't impact its plans to restart funding.In a non-public State Department report obtained by the Washington Free Beacon, the administration said the Palestinians spent at least $151 million in 2019 on its "pay-to-slay" program, in which international aid dollars are spent to support imprisoned terrorists and their families. Financial statements further indicate that at least $191 million was spent on "deceased Palestinians referred to as ‘martyrs.’" Despite this practice, which violates U.S. law and prompted the Trump administration to freeze aid to the Palestinians, the "Biden-Harris Administration has made clear its intent to restart assistance to the Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza," according to the report.It remains unclear how the Biden administration will restart American aid without violating a 2018 bipartisan law known as the Taylor Force Act, which prohibits the U.S. government from resuming Palestinian aid until the payments to terrorists are stopped.The State Department admitted it was "unable to certify" to Congress that the Palestinian Authority and Palestine Liberation Organization are complying with the Taylor Force Act, primarily because they have "not terminated payments for acts of terrorism to any individual, after being fairly tried, who has been imprisoned for such acts of terrorism and to any individual who died committing such acts of terrorism, including to a family member of such individuals," according to the report.Currently, "plans for [resuming] this assistance are being developed, and the resumption of assistance to the West Bank and Gaza, including any assistance for the PA using [fiscal year] 2020 funds, will be fully consistent with applicable requirements under U.S. law," the administration claims in the report without explaining exactly how it will legally execute that plan.Another private State Department memo outlining the Biden administration’s efforts to increase diplomacy with the Palestinian government indicates that U.S. aid dollars will start flowing again at the end of March or early April, according to a copy of that memo recently leaked in the press.
Israel haters like to imply, without evidence, that Israel is misusing US funds for demolition of Palestinian terrorist houses or other anti-terror activities in the territories. They self-righteously claim that they are only trying to protect US taxpayer dollars.
You can be sure they will not say a word against resuming funding the Palestinian Authority even with the full knowledge that the funds will go, directly or indirectly, into the pockets of terrorists and their families.
You can also be sure that the Palestinian Authority has learned that it doesn't need to change at all and Western nations will still fall over themselves to give them cash.
