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U.S. Pushing PA to Reform Its Payments to Terrorists Policy
(Times of Israel) Jacob Magid - The Biden administration is committed to pushing the Palestinian Authority to reform its policy of payments to security prisoners and families of Palestinians killed while carrying out terror attacks on Israelis, a senior State Department official told the Times of Israel. The Taylor Force Act passed by Congress in 2018 suspended U.S. aid to the PA as long as it continued to award stipends to prisoners based on the length of their sentence. Secretary of State Blinken raised the issue during his meeting with PA President Abbas in Ramallah last month. The U.S. official said Tuesday: "In administering assistance for the West Bank and Gaza, the Biden-Harris administration has made clear it will do so consistent with the Taylor Force Act and all applicable requirements under U.S. law." None of the $235 million in aid announced by the Biden administration is slated to go to the PA or Hamas and instead will be funneled to various USAID programs as well as UNRWA - the UN agency for Palestinian refugees.