Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.

JNS.org – A group of leading Republican senators proposed legislation that would cut off funding to the Palestinian Authority (PA) if it continues its policy of dispensing monetary rewards for terrorism.

US Senators Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Dan Coats (R-IN) and Roy Blunt (R-MO) introduced the Taylor Force Act, which would require the secretary of state to certify that the PA has stopped paying a stipend to terrorists’ surviving family members. The bill also calls on the PA to publicly condemn terror attacks and take steps to bring perpetrators to justice.

The legislation is named for the American veteran who was stabbed to death in March by a Palestinian terrorist in an attack that left 10 others wounded in Jaffa. Force, 29, was a graduate of West Point Academy, who served tours of duty with the US Army in Iraq and Afghanistan. He was in Israel as part of a Vanderbilt University school trip.

“This legislation shines a light on a very real problem,” Graham said. “Why is the Palestinian Authority paying young Palestinians to commit acts of terror against innocent Americans like Taylor Force or Israelis? The Palestinians need to decide: do they condemn these horrible acts or do they reward them? You can’t be a partner in peace when you are paying people to commit terrorist acts. The choice the Palestinians make will determine the type of relationship they have with the United States in the years to come.”

The Republican Jewish Coalition released a statement saying that “ending the PA’s funding of terrorism shouldn’t be a partisan issue, and we urge everyone  – Republicans, Democrats and Independents – to stand with this important legislation.”