A last parting shot at Israel from the Obama administration: A release of funds that will encourage continued terror against Israeli citizens.
With just hours left in his presidency, Barack Obama authorized 221 million dollars for the Palestinian Authority (PA) which had previously been held thanks to the objections of Republican congressmen. The allocation, meant mostly for “humanitarian” purposes, had been approved in the 2015 and 2016 budgets, but concerns arose as to whether the money was going for relief or to support terror operations.
Ordinarily, the congressmen’s “holds” would have prevented the release of these funds, but they weren’t legally binding to the administration. Ex-President Obama felt that funding the Palestinian Authority, despite the objections, would help stabilize the region. What he didn’t realize, perhaps, is that some of that money will be going to support those who perpetrate terror attacks against Israelis.
Yigal Carmon, president of the Middle East Media Research Institute, recently testified to the House Foreign Affairs Committee that the Palestinian Authority monetarily supports terrorists in or released from Israeli jails and families of suicide bombers. Despite being a violation of the Oslo peace accords, this policy amounted to 137.8 million dollars disbursed in 2016; this figure represents up to 10% of the PA’s total budget.
Carmon further testified that the PA evades restrictions by funneling money to Palestinian Liberation Organization entities, which then pay stipends of from $364 to $3000 per month to thousands of terrorists or their families. Why the disparity? Believe it or not, it appears to be based on the severity of the terror event. The more damage and casualties caused, the higher the payment.
In comparison, non-violent Palestinians earn about less than $4000 a year.
You would think that any head of state would discourage violence against other nations. Mahmoud Abbas, president of the Palestinian Authority, however, is not just any head of state. Last September, he stated publicly on Palestinian television:
“We welcome every drop of blood spilled in Jerusalem. This is pure blood, clean blood, blood on its way to Allah…”
The end result of the United States funding the Palestinian Authority is to encourage the continued violence, which has resulted in the deaths of both Israelis and Palestinians. Without massive foreign aid, the PA cannot continue its heinous practice of paying for Israeli deaths.
If we cannot verify that our dollars are going directly to ease the suffering of non-violent Palestinians, it’s time to cut off financial aid, once and for all. If we don’t, won’t we be responsible for funding terror against our most important ally in the Middle East?