U.S. President Donald Trump signed Congress' newly passed $1.3 trillion spending bill on Friday, thereby signing into law legislation that would sharply reduce the annual $300 million in U.S. aid to the Palestinian Authority, over what lawmakers described as payments that reward terrorism.
The measure, known as the Taylor Force Act, was named after a 29-year-old U.S. military veteran, who was fatally stabbed by a Palestinian terrorist while visiting Israel in 2016.
The act is intended to stop the Palestinians from paying stipends, referred to as "martyr payments," to the families of terrorists killed or imprisoned by Israeli authorities. The payments can reach up to $3,500 a month.
Force's attacker was killed by Israeli police, and the terrorist's family receives such a monthly payment.
Over the weekend, the Knesset Israel Victory Caucus (KIVC) and the Congressional Israel Victory Caucus (CIVC) hailed the passing into law of the Taylor Force Act, which was written and introduced by Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-Colorado), a member of the CIVC.
"Passing this crucial bill sends a clear message to the Palestinian Authority that they must accept the Jewish state," said Lamborn. "The United States will not support measures that seek to harm our ally, Israel. I am pleased to work with the Israel Victory Caucus and our counterparts in the Knesset toward our common goals."
CIVC co-chair Rep. Bill Johnson (R-Ohio) was an original co-sponsor when the Taylor Force Act was first introduced in the House of Representatives. "As the Palestinians continue to undermine the Jewish state, we must now, more than ever, reaffirm our support for Israel," he said.
"This is a step in the right direction to end the conflict, and send a strong message that the United States will not provide aid to those who fund terrorists," he added. "I am pleased that this important policy was included in the omnibus signed by the president."
Similar legislation is currently moving forward in Israel, with a law drafted by Yesh Atid MK Elazar Stern, a KIVC co-chair. The legislation has passed its first reading and is still pending approval in second and third readings.
"We congratulate Rep. Doug Lamborn and our colleagues in the U.S. on this important first step," MK Stern said. "We hope it will put an end to Palestinian incitement, violence and payments to terrorists. We have a similar law that passed its first reading in the Knesset and we are delighted to be working in parallel on such an important security issue that will save lives and contribute towards peace."
Another KIVC co-chair, Yisrael Beytenu MK Oded Forer, also talked about how the Israeli government was exploring ways of ending Palestinian payments to terrorists and their families, hailing party leader Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman as a driving force in these efforts.
"It is extremely important that after decades of being rewarded and incentivized for its murderous and rejectionist activity, the Palestinian Authority is finally being told enough is enough," Forer said. "We are working with our colleagues in the U.S. to ensure that Palestinian rejectionism and terrorism will be roundly defeated, and the will of those who seek to perpetuate the conflict and continue the bloodshed is broken."
The Israel Victory Project, an initiative of the Middle East Forum (MEF), has helped in the creation of the two caucuses, which work closely together with the public and political spheres to raise awareness on ending the Israeli-Palestinian conflict under a new paradigm. The initiative operates under the belief that a political settlement can be reached only once the Palestinian leadership ends its war of rejectionism to the very existence of Jewish sovereignty.
MEF Director Gregg Roman noted that "this bipartisan action is a step in the right direction to end the conflict by cutting off support to an entity that refuses to accept that Israel has won its war for independence."
"We will continue to work with our partners in Congress and Knesset to strengthen efforts to punish Palestinian rejectionism so that the conflict can end, and rejectionism becomes recognition."
