U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., joined other Senate Republicans in calling for shutting off funds to the Palestinian Authority until it stops supporting terrorism.
Rubio is backing U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham’s, R-SC, “Taylor Force Act: which was named after a former Army officer killed by a Palestinian terrorist during a tour of Israel. The Palestinian Authority did not condemn the attack and part of the Palestinian leadership praised the terrorist behind it as a martyr.
“It’s unacceptable that our taxpayer dollars are still being used by the Palestinian Authority to pay terrorists who have Israeli and American blood on their hands, and to brainwash young Palestinians to hate Israel and the Jewish people,” Rubio said. “The U.S. should condition assistance to the Palestinian Authority on it stopping these despicable practices.”
“This legislation shines a light on a very real problem,” said Graham, who chairs the Senate State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Subcommittee. “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 bill has the support of many Republicans in the Senate including U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, who, like Graham and Rubio, ran for the Republican presidential nomination in the 2016 election cycle.
“This bill delivers a message that should be heard loud and clear: the United States must not fund a Palestinian leadership that engages in incitement and supports acts of terrorism against both American and Israeli citizens," said Cruz. “I’m proud to work with Sen. Graham and my colleagues on this legislation, named in honor of Taylor Force, a Texas native and Iraq and Afghanistan war veteran who served multiple tours in defense of our country before being murdered by a Palestinian terrorist in Tel Aviv last year. The US must hold the Palestinian leadership accountable for continuing this heinous practice of incentivizing and rewarding terrorism by providing monthly salaries and benefits to terrorists, their families, and the families of those who died committing acts of terrorism. We must ensure US taxpayer dollars are not being used to fund and enable Palestinian terrorism and stand with Israel against radical Islamic terrorism that targets citizens from both of our countries.”
Other Republicans backing the bill in the Senate include Roy Blunt of Missouri, John Boozman and Tom Cotton of Arkansas, Richard Burr of North Carolina, Tim Scott of South Carolina and John Thune of South Dakota. The House version of the bill is being backed by U.S. Reps. Doug Lamborn, R-Col., and U.S. Rep. Lee Zeldin, R-NY.
