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Will Withholding U.S. Funds to PA Until They Stop Supporting Terror Do More Harm than Good?

(Israel Hayom) Jonathan S. Tobin - Those who want to hold the PA accountable for actively fomenting hate against Israel and educating its children to oppose peace advocate withholding U.S. funds until they stop supporting terror. But will depriving the PA of the money that keeps the West Bank government functioning do more harm than good? Those who take Abbas' occasional support for the idea of peace as proof of the PA's good intentions can't explain away the pensions paid by the PA to terrorists and their families. The PA treats terrorists as heroes. So long as the PA is paying for terror, it will continue in one form or another. Support for violence against Jews is deeply embedded in Palestinian political culture. Considering his unwillingness to accept even the most generous Israeli offers of statehood, there is little chance Abbas is willing to risk a backlash from the clear majority of Palestinians who agree that terrorists are heroes. This situation continues because Abbas thinks his foreign sugar daddies have no leverage over him. PA leaders and their families have stolen billions in aid they received during the last two decades without ever being held accountable. But while the PA's Fatah party leadership fears being seen as soft on Jews, it may also fear bankruptcy just as much. That's why it is high time that someone at least try to make them pay a penalty for their criminal misconduct. Until somebody tries, we'll never know if they can be nudged in the right direction on terror subsidies.
2017-04-07 00:00:00
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