Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) announced that he is reintroducing a bill that would cut off funding to the Palestinian Authority for paying rewards to terrorists and their families Tuesday. The Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America (OU), the nation's largest Orthodox Jewish umbrella organization, welcomed Sen. Graham's announcement. The Taylor Force Act, named for the Vanderbilt University graduate student and former US Army officer stabbed to death in Jaffa by an Arab terrorist last year, would make future U. financial aid to the PA contingent on ending its policy of paying life-long stipends to terrorists and their surviving family members. The Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America (OU), the nation's largest Orthodox Jewish umbrella organization, welcomed Sen. Graham's announcement. Mark Bane, president of the Orthodox Union stated: “We are thankful to Sen. Graham for addressing this critical issue. His leadership is greatly appreciated.” Nathan Diament, executive director for public policy for the Orthodox Union stated: "It is outrageous that the PA uses U.S. financial assistance to reward Palestinian terrorists and their families for murdering Israelis, and the United States must stop being an unwitting party to this practice. We commend Sen. Graham and the bill's co-sponsors for taking a stand against violence and terrorism and for supporting Israel, America's closest ally in the Middle East." Since the mid-1990s, the United States has contributed more than $5 billion in security assistance to the PA. However, a portion of these tax dollars are earmarked for stipends to terrorists and their families in perpetuity. According to a 2014 study by the Israeli government, based on internal PA documents, these prisoners and their families received more than $75 million in "reward" money in a single year.
