Even as the Taylor Force Act finally passed Congress, the Palestinian Authority has once again made it clear that it's going to continue paying salaries to convicted terrorists and their families.
Palestinian Media Watch's report on the new Palestinian Authority budget shows that over 7% or $355 million will go to the same old, "Pay to Slay" program. The PLO government doesn't just incite violence against Israelis and Americans. If financially subsidized it using American taxpayer money.
That's the sort of thing that the original Taylor Force Act was supposed to stop.
7.47% of the PA's operational budget is for salaries to terrorist prisoners, released terrorists, and payments to families of "Martyrs" and wounded
- The PA has 2 budget categories rewarding terror; together they equal 44% of anticipated foreign aid- New in 2018 Budget: For the first time since 2014, the PA is directly paying the Commission of Prisoners, which pays the salaries to terrorist prisoners; as a result, the PA now fits Israel's criteria to be declared a terror organization
Total PA 2018 operational budget: 16.559 billion shekels ($4.76 billion)
Salaries to terrorist prisoners: 550 million shekels ($158 million)
Payments to families of "Martyrs" and wounded: 687 million shekels ($197 million)
Total expenditure in budget categories rewarding terror = 1.237 billion shekels ($355 million)
By comparison: PA Ministry of Health which serves the entire population of 5 million has a budget of 1.787 billion shekels, a mere 44% more than 1.237 billion shekels serving the recipients in the two budget categories rewarding terror
The budget for the Families of the Martyrs and Wounded Institution is 696 million shekels ($200 million). Of this, 687 million shekels ($197 million) is for payments to families of the so-called "Martyrs" and wounded. The families of "Martyrs" receiving these monthly payments include the families of all Palestinian suicide bombers and other terrorists killed while attacking and murdering Israelis and tourists. For example, the family of the terrorist Bashar Masalha who murdered American student Taylor Force receives this monthly payment
That's why the father of Taylor Force, the Iraq and Afghan war veteran murdered in Israel, has made it clear that it's not over.
Days after the Taylor Force Act passed in the US Congress, the father of the late soldier for whom the legislation is named told Israeli media outlet Walla that he was pleased with the bill's passage but that it was "not the end of the process."
Force said he believes the US will in fact retract its funding to the PA, something that has been threatened, but not implemented. US President Donald Trump has also called for defunding the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, which provides aid specifically to Palestinian refugees.
Force added that he hopes other countries will now follow in the footsteps of the US and reduce or cut their aid to the PA to force the authority to end its payment program.
The shelling out of international funds for the families of murderers, he said, “is a global matter... and in the end, it only hurts people.”
It's very simple.
We need to end all funding for Islamic terrorism. As long as we provide money to the Palestinian Authority, we're funding terrorism that kills Americans.