Earlier this month, former US President Barack Obama sat down for an interview with Ezra Klein for the New York Times to discuss his legacy. During their meeting, Obama praised US President Joe Biden, whom he said is "essentially finishing the job" of his administration. While each administration has a distinctive character all their own, the decision by President Biden to restore aid to the Palestinians, despite their continued pay-for-slay program, is one disturbing parallel between the two presidents.
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Biden's resurrection of Palestinian aid also violates the Taylor Force Act, named in memory of US Cpt. Taylor Force, who in 2016 was stabbed to death in Jaffa while on a school trip with Vanderbilt University. The Taylor Force Act was signed into law by former President Donald Trump in 2018 and halts over $200 million in annual US economic aid to the Palestinians until the Palestinian Authority ceased its cash incentive program for terrorists.
Force, a West Point graduate who served multiple tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, was brutally murdered by Palestinian terrorist Bashar Massalha who hailed from the West Bank city of Qalqilya. Massalha was shot dead by police following his stabbing spree and was subsequently lauded as a "hero and a martyr" by the PA. At the same time, Palestinians danced in celebration upon hearing the news of Force's death.
Under the PA's "pay for slay" program Massalha's family receives a monthly pension amounting to three times the average salary in the West Bank. In total, the PA has compensated over 36,000 terrorists and allocates approximately 8% of its budget towards rewarding terrorism. Financial payments are divided between stipends for imprisoned terrorists and payments for the families of dead terrorists. These financial arrangements are based on a sliding scale- the more egregious the attack, the higher the payout.
In early April, prior to the breakout of fighting between Israel and Hamas, Biden announced $110 million in Palestinian assistance. This package includes $75 million in economic support and $10 million dedicated exclusively to "peacebuilding" programs. Feeling emboldened proceeding the ramping up of aid, Hamas launched the worst rocket barrage against Israel in years.
Immediately following the truce brokered between Israel and Hamas, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken traveled to the region and increased Palestinian aid to $360 million citing "urgent support for the Palestinian people." While the PA continues to reward Palestinian terrorists, the Biden Administration, in a reversal of Trump-era policies, is loosening American purse strings to the satisfaction of rogue actors like Hamas.
Contained within the US foreign aid package is the resumption of $150 million in funding for the United Nations Relief Works Agency (UNRWA). Former President Trump ceased funding of UNRWA due to the organization's non-compliance with international terror laws and its promotion of jihad against Israel. UNRWA's Director, Matthias Schmale, recently stated that UNRWA has no choice but to work with Hamas, given the terrorist group's control over Gaza. And while Blinken insists that restoration of American aid will help rebuild Gaza, he has admitted that there "are no guarantees" that American money will not end up in the pockets of terrorist groups. Michael Rubin, a senior fellow at The American Enterprise Institute (AEI), also acknowledges that it remains impossible for the US to invest in Gaza without benefitting Hamas.
Incidentally, the funneling of money through UNRWA and various other independent organizations merely frees up financing for Hamas to restock its weaponry and resume its construction of underground terror tunnels. Potentialities for such deception are guaranteed by corrupt Palestinian leaders such as senior Hamas operative Ismail Haniyeh who, along with his entourage, spent over $1 million at a five-star hotel in Doha during recent clashes between Israel and Hamas.
The PA has also become adept at cosmetically altering its pay-for-slay methods. Under amended anti-terror financing laws, monthly disbursements to terrorists are prohibited by banks operating within PA-controlled areas. Today, illegal "pay for slay" payments are instead set up through post offices, while cryptocurrency has become a mechanism whereby Hamas can evade "terror sanctions."
Simply put, this laundering of US tax dollars will end up abetting the Palestinians "pay for slay" scheme and leave millions of dollars in the coffers of Hamas and other terrorist groups operating within Gaza. As a result, Biden's pathological willingness to dismantle the Taylor Force Act and enable the PA's "cash for terrorism" program will end up costing the US and Israel dearly – in dollars and in lives.
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