views essay Pejorative Payouts Peace impossible until Palestinian terrorist salaries end. C Taylor Force Act. The act would limit funding that directly benefits the P.A. while keeping humanitarian assis- tance provided the P.A. steps up fighting terror within. The biparti- san bill is named for a Taylor Force Vanderbilt University graduate student, a 28-year-old former U.S. Army officer, who was stabbed to death in a 2016 terrorist attack while studying in the old section of Tel Aviv. The bill wouldn’t curtail the almost $100 million a year the U.S. extends to the P.A. in security support. It would affect the $260 million a year the U.S. awards the P.A. in non-security aid. Let’s hope the bill’s final version isn’t diluted to yielding no discernable rea- son for the P.A to end terrorist payouts. The Taylor Force Act would be a hollow shell should it lack the political and economic spine to force the P.A. into a fundamental cultural upheaval. all the Palestinian practice gave the payout practice wide of paying terrorists jailed exposure in 2011. A few weeks ago, PMW briefed Israel’s Foreign by Israel and the families Affairs and Defense Committee on of “martyred” terrorists what it how best to counter the practice. truly is: blood money. PMW has been represented at It’s a practice with desperate all three committee hearings. It intentions. It must stop before confirms that P.A. salaries can be Palestinian leaders gain the Robert Sklar a driver for predisposed terrorists legitimacy they crave. and that restricted tax revenues Payouts not only motivate ter- Contributing Editor can drive down terrorist salaries. rorists into murdering as well as PMW also has found more foreign maiming supporters of anything governments demanding their P.A. alloca- Zionist, but also are spent on weapons tions cease subsidizing terror. used later in terrorist attacks. In 2017, the Palestinian Authority (P.A.), whose Fatah faction governs much of the HAUNTING NUMBERS West Bank, budgeted 7 percent, a stagger- Jailed terrorists draw a salary of $401 a ing $350 million, to pay upwards of 6,300 month, which grows based on jail time to jailed terrorists as well as 26,800 families $3,438 a month. Families of terrorist “mar- of terrorists killed or injured as “martyrs” tyrs” draw an upfront payment of $1,662, for Allah. then a lifetime stipend of $401 a month. Imagine such funding going toward The Israeli government’s proposal social needs under a de facto government to oppose the payout practice shekel HISTORICAL BACKDROP wracked by political corruption and eco- for shekel just might possess the eco- Over the long haul, the U.S. govern- nomic distress. nomic muscle to succeed. Israel would ment thus far hasn’t shown the political Pending legislation in both Israel and increase its return of P.A. tax revenues will to decertify P.A. “efforts” against the U.S. would slash hundreds of millions at the same rate the P.A. diminished ter- Palestinian terror. of dollars in P.A. aid until the abhorrent rorist salaries. In a thoughtful commentary payouts stop. To carry clout, any new laws Withholding all tax revenues posted by the Jewish news must not be compromised to the point would further destabilize service JNS on Dec. 4, New they lack impact. Ramallah and further enrage Jersey attorney Stephen Flatow, There’s no denying “martyrdom” in the Palestinians. The approach vice president of the Religious “struggle against Zionism” can appeal to under review encourages a Zionists of America and father young, vulnerable Palestinians. Personal Palestinian change of heart — of Alisa Flatow, murdered in an glory and substantial payouts loom as a greater tax revenues for ordi- Iranian-sponsored Palestinian social chip for fighting Israel’s so-called nary Palestinians who seek a terrorist attack in 1995, wrote: “occupation of Palestinian land.” better way of life. Israel collects “We all know that for the past Stephen Flatow almost $200 million a month 24 years, the State Department in taxes on the P.A.’s behalf and UNDER STUDY has repeatedly ‘certified’ that the P.A. In Israel, the Knesset is discussing a bill to returns a slightly lower payment after was keeping its obligation in the Oslo deducting due debt, according to PMW. hold back tax revenues transferred to the Accords even though that certification P.A. equal to what the P.A. pays out to ter- was a total lie. rorists directly and to families of terrorist FORCEFUL EFFECT “No matter how blatantly the P.A. vio- “martyrs.” The U.S. Congress, with White House lated the accords, the State Department Israel-based Palestinian Media Watch backing in principle, is considering the always found some excuse to declare Contributing Writers: Ruthan Brodsky, Rochel Burstyn, Suzanne Chessler, Annabel Cohen, Don Cohen, Shari S. Cohen, Shelli Liebman Dorfman, Adam Finkel, Stacy Gittleman, Stacy Goldberg, Judy Greenwald, Ronelle Grier, Esther Allweiss Ingber, Allison Jacobs, Barbara Lewis, Jennifer Lovy, Rabbi Jason Miller, Alan Muskovitz, David Sachs, Karen Schwartz, Robin Schwartz, Steve Stein, Joyce Wiswell Arthur M. Horwitz Publisher / Executive Editor ahorwitz@renmedia.us F. Kevin Browett Chief Operating Officer kbrowett@renmedia.us | Editorial Managing Editor: Jackie Headapohl jheadapohl@renmedia.us Story Development Editor: Keri Guten Cohen kcohen@renmedia.us Arts & Life Editor: Lynne Konstantin lkonstantin@renmedia.us Digital/Social Media Editor: Hannah Levine hlevine@renmedia.us Editorial Assistant: Sy Manello smanello@renmedia.us Senior Columnist: Danny Raskin dannyraskin2132@gmail.com Contributing Editor: Robert Sklar rsklar@renmedia.us | Advertising Sales Sales Director: Keith Farber kfarber@renmedia.us Account Executives : Wendy Flusty, Annette Kizy | Production By FARAGO & ASSOCIATES Manager: Scott Drzewiecki Designers: Kelly Kosek, Amy Pollard, Michelle Sheridan, Susan Walker | Detroit Jewish News Chairman: Michael H. Steinhardt President/Publisher: Arthur M. Horwitz ahorwitz@renmedia.us Chief Operating Officer: F. Kevin Browett kbrowett@renmedia.us Controller: Craig R. Phipps | Social Media Producer Andrea Gusho socialmedia@thejewishnews.com Sales Manager Assistants : Karen Marzolf | Business Offices Billing Coordinator: Pamela Turner | Fulfillment Joelle Harder jharder@renmedia.us it to be ‘in compliance’ so that U.S. money would keep flowing. There is every reason to believe that the State Department will do so again.” PRESSING QUEST It’s unfathomable to think well-meaning allocations to the P.A. for infrastructure, hospitals, schools, security, food and debt relief is being diverted to glorify terror not only via terrorist payouts, but also by inciting youths to commit vio- lence against “the Zionist entity.” Strengthening the chorus of nations seeking that good-faith gifts of aid no longer go toward terror-inspiring sala- ries would be a good start. Still needed is an alliance with inter- national stature to take up this good fight and denounce the payouts. An alli- ance of, perhaps, the European Union, the U.N. Security Council, friendly Arab governments and other western and Asian partners could work in lockstep with U.S. and Israeli revenue cuts to pressure the P.A. into reimagining what it is on behalf of the Palestinian people. Peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians have broken off thanks in part to P.A. President Mahmoud Abbas rejecting any brokered inroad toward rekindled direct, bilateral negotiating. He clings to terrorist payouts despite deepening international dissent. Circumstances could be substantively different if Palestinian leadership, at least the P.A. if not Hamas, the terror- ist organization ruling the Gaza Strip, somehow found the inclination to rec- ognize Israel as the Jewish state. That would help set the stage for moving away from terrorist payouts and toward yet another try at solv- ing the decades-old conflict between the ancestral homeland of the Jewish people and the Palestinians — in reality, Sunni Arabs angling for real leadership amid little hardcore support in the Arab world for their lingering, terribly unfor- tunate plight. • | Departments General Offi ces: 248-354-6060 Advertising: 248-351-5107 Advertising Fax: 248-304-0049 Circulation: 248-351-5120 Classifi ed Ads: 248-351-5116 Advertising Deadline: Monday, 2 p.m. Editorial Fax: 248-304-8885 Deadline: All public and social announcements must be typewritten and received by noon Tuesday, nine days prior to desired date of publication. 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