The Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America, the nation’s largest Orthodox Jewish umbrella organization, welcomes today’s introduction of legislation by Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) that would suspend U.S. financial assistance to the Palestinian Authority (PA) until it stops using American dollars to pay stipends to the families of terrorists who kill Israeli citizens.

The Taylor Force Act, named for the Vanderbilt University graduate student and former U.S. Army officer stabbed to death in Jaffa by a Palestinian terrorist last year, would make future U.S. financial aid to the Palestinian Authority contingent on the PA ending its policy of paying life-long stipends to terrorists and their surviving family members.

Mark Bane, president of the Orthodox Union stated:
“We are thankful to Sen. Graham for addressing this critical issue. His leadership is greatly appreciated.”

Nathan Diament, executive director for public policy for the Orthodox Union stated:
“It is outrageous that the Palestinian Authority uses U.S. financial assistance to reward Palestinian terrorists and their families for murdering Israelis, and the United States must stop being an unwitting party to this practice. We commend Sen. Graham and the bill’s co-sponsors for taking a stand against violence and terrorism and supporting Israel, America’s closest ally in the Middle East.”

In 2016 alone, the PA – partly through the Palestine Liberation Organization – paid $300 million as salaries to imprisoned and released Palestinian terrorists and payments to ‘martyr’s’ families, according to a comprehensive report by Israeli Brig.-Gen. (res.) Yossi Kuperwasser published by the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs. That amounts to 7 percent of the PA’s total budget and 29 percent of its foreign aid.