The Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America, the nation’s largest Orthodox Jewish umbrella organization, welcomes the House Foreign Affairs Committee’s unanimous vote for a bipartisan bill to halt U.S. aid to the Palestinian Authority (PA) unless it stops using the money to reward terrorists for killing Israelis and Americans – and giving lifetime stipends to the terrorists’ families.

The committee’s overwhelming support for the Taylor Force Act, H.R. 1164 comes just a few months after the Senate Foreign Relations Committee passed its version of the Taylor Force Act, introduced by Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.). The House bill was introduced by Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-Colo.). The bill was named for Taylor Force, a 28-year-old Vanderbilt University graduate student and U.S. Army veteran who was stabbed to death in Jaffa by a Palestinian terrorist in March 2016 during a school trip.

Under Palestinian law, both perpetrators and their families receive life-long pensions, bonuses of up to $25,000 and many other perks for such attacks. During 2017 alone, the PA budgeted $344 million for payments to terrorists and their families. That’s almost half of the PA’s total foreign aid for the year. The bill would end direct support for the Palestinian Authority while continuing funding for certain humanitarian projects and needs.

OU Executive Director for Public Policy Nathan Diament, who has been working with legislators for more than a year to build support for the bill, stated:
“Today’s unanimous approval of the Taylor Force Act is a major step toward ending the Palestinians’ heinous practice of ‘pay for slay.’  It sends a clear message to the Palestinians, and to the world, that the U.S. will no longer tolerate the diversion of its aid to fund a system that rewards terrorists for the murder of Israelis and Americans.”

OU President Mark (Moishe) Bane stated:
“We thank all the members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee for their robust support for ending the flow of U.S. dollars to support Palestinian terror and target civilians. We also extend special appreciation to House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Ed Royce and Ranking Member Eliot Engel as well as the 152 U.S. representatives who co-sponsored the Taylor Force Act. We are confident this legislation will pass when it goes to the full House for a vote.”