What the Taylor Force Act Demands of the Palestinians

Here is what the Taylor Force Act demands of the Palestinians if they want to qualify for American aid:

The PA, the PLO, and other Palestinian groups must show that they

•      are taking steps to end acts of violence against U.S. and Israeli citizens perpetrated by individuals under their jurisdictional control, such as the March 2016 attack that killed former Army officer Taylor Force;
•      have revoked any law, decree, or document authorizing or implementing a system of compensation for imprisoned individuals that uses the sentence or incarceration period to determine compensation;
•      have terminated payments for acts of terrorism against U.S. and Israeli citizens to any individual who has been fairly tried and imprisoned for such acts, to any individual who died committing such acts, and to family members of such an individual; and
•      are publicly condemning such acts of violence and are investigating such acts.

It is obvious that the PA has not met any of those four requirements. It has done nothing to end violence against “US and Israeli citizens.” It has not “revoked any law” that authorizes the “Pay-for-Slay” program. It has not “terminated payments for acts of terrorism” but keeps sending imprisoned terrorists and the family members of terrorists generous subsidies. And the PA praises “acts of violence” instead of “publicly condemning” them.” It names schools, streets, and squares after terrorists, and broadcasts programs about their “heroic acts.” But if the Biden Administration continues to provide the PA with hundreds of millions of dollars a year, there is always the possibility of a Congressional revolt against this violation of Taylor Force; certainly a Republican victory this November would ensure passage of resolutions demanding strict adherence to the Taylor Force Act. For now, however, it is this fifth demand by the PA for America to turn on again the tap of American aid that has already been met by the compliant Bidenites.

A report on the Palestinians’ demands on Joe Biden is here.

The senior PA official said the US administration could help create an appropriate climate for reviving the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. “We continue to believe in political solutions to the conflict,” Deek stressed.

Asked about the PA leadership’s stance toward Lapid, he said that “We will judge Yair Lapid by his deeds and not by his words. We are searching for a real Israeli peace partner so that we could sit with him at the negotiating table. The hand of President Abbas is always extended for peace. Bennett rejected this extended hand, but we hope that Lapid will shake hands with President Abbas.

The “hand of President Abbas is always extended for peace” except in 2008, when it was Ehud Olmert stretching out his hand, which was rejected by Abbas; and except in 2011, when it was Benjamin Netanyahu extending his hand, who was rejected by Abbas, and in 2020, when it was again Netanyahu offering his hand for peace, who was again rejected by Abbas,. And now we are supposed to overlook Abbas’ praise of terrorists, his subsidies to terrorists and their families, his whipping up of Palestinian hysteria against Israelis, by joining others in claiming that “the Jews” are plotting to take over Al-Aqsa, a charge he knows perfectly well is idiotic.

“We want him to meet with President Abbas as soon as possible,” Deek said. “We are witnessing a systematic sabotage of the peace camp in Palestine. This camp is being undermined because of the Israeli actions and measures against the Palestinians. That’s why it’s urgent and important for Lapid to meet with President Abbas.”

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There is no “peace camp” among the Palestinians. There are two war camps. The first consists of the Slow Jihadists of the PA, who want to use diplomacy to first squeeze Israel back within the 1949 armistice lines, and only after that has been accomplished, to attempt a violent assault on a dimidiated Jewish state. The second consists of the Fast Jihadists of Hamas and likeminded groups, who want to use terrorism to undermine the Jewish state and bring about its collapse.

All five of the Palestinian “demands” are ludicrous. Biden had his brief encounter with Mahmoud Abbas, during which he provided the PA leader with the usual photo op and perhaps, at most, an hour of his time. He did not take the occasion to then and there reject those “demands” – the very idea of Palestinians thinking they were in any position to make demands of the Americans (“we need your money”) is comical. He listened, poker-faced, shook hands at the end of Abbas’ harangue, and swiftly departed for the main event of this trip – his visit to the suddenly un-pariahed Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. And now that Biden has been back in Washington for a month, and the phone hasn’t rung in Ramallah, Mahmoud Abbas may finally realize that four of his five demands will not now, and will not ever, be met.