A non-profit Israeli institute that researches Palestinian society has found a troubling possible linkage between US aid to the Palestinian Authority and the scope of deadly terror attacks against Israelis.
Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram
The Palestinian Media Watch published a study this week that analyzed statistics taken from periodic reports published by the US Congressional Research Service, from 2011 (the year the non-profit exposed the PA's terror-rewarding pay-for-slay policy) through 2022.
It found that when aid to the PA dropped, such as during the Trump administration, attacks against Israelis also decreased. However, when such aid was high, such as during the Obama and now Biden administrations, more Israelis were killed.
There are three types of US aid to the PA: the Economic Support Fund, the International Narcotics Control and Law Enforcement, and US aid to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).
Between 2009 and 2017, the Obama administration provided the PA with 6.4 billion dollars in aid. Within that time, 140 Israelis and foreigners residing in Israel were killed in terror attacks, an average of 17.5 a year.
Over the next four years, the Trump administration gradually decreased aid to the Palestinians to as little as 670 million dollars. Within that time period, 42 Israelis and foreigners were killed in Palestinian terror attacks, an average of 10.5 people a year.
Since the Biden administration took office in January 2021, the PA has received a billion dollars in aid. In that time, 46 Israelis and foreigners have been killed, an average of 23 a year. In January and February this year, when US aid to the PA continued unabated, 14 Israelis and foreigners were killed in Palestinian terror attacks.
Maurice Hirsch, head of Legal Strategies at the PMW, said, "The correlation is also annual. In a year when extensive economic aid to the Palestinians flows, the number of attacks increases – and vice versa. The Palestinians interpret American support, as far as it is expressed in financial aid, as approval for terrorism and the murder of Israelis.
"US support is ostensibly dedicated to promoting peace, but in practice, the Palestinians see its support as an opportunity to promote terrorism. While US aid to the Palestinians flows freely, Palestinian terrorists feel empowered and kill Israelis. Only when the US demonstrates moral clarity and stops the aid, the Palestinians will understand that terrorism does not pay."
Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!
