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U.S. Accuses Palestinians of Manufacturing Crisis over Israel's Decision to Deduct Payments to Terrorists
(Washington Free Beacon) Adam Kredo - U.S. peace envoy Jason Greenblatt rebuked the Palestinian Authority and UN members who he said are enabling the PA to continue paying salaries to terrorists who have killed Jews, at a closed-door session of the UN Security Council on Friday. "It is astonishing that in the year 2019, the Palestinian Authority has not yet taken any steps to end these morally-repugnant payments," Greenblatt said. "It is bewildering that the international community has not been more vocal in condemning this practice. If your citizens were being routinely attacked by terrorists, which of you would tolerate a reward system that compensated the attackers for their crimes? How can we possibly censure Israel for taking the same stance?" "The system the Palestinian Authority has set up to make payments to terrorists and their families is not a social welfare system, no matter how inaccurately it is described. The system created by the Palestinian Authority only creates incentives for further acts of terrorism." "It is the Palestinian Authority that has chosen to manufacture the current crisis. Israel is withholding 5 to 7% of monthly clearance revenues....It is the Palestinian Authority that has chosen to reject all remaining clearance revenues, which amount to up to 95% of the revenues to which they are entitled. The Palestinian Authority is refusing to accept over $150 million in revenue to protest the fact that $11 million is being withheld, only to make a political point....Let's not kid ourselves. The small percentage of revenue transfers that is being withheld by Israel is not what is causing this crisis." "Plainly put: the system rewards terrorism. That is why President Trump signed into law the Taylor Force Act, which makes clear that the United States absolutely, without qualification, rejects payments rewarding terrorism....The Palestinian Authority's institutionalization of support for terrorism is unacceptable and must be called out, unequivocally, by all of us. The time has come for everyone to stop looking the other way."