State Department announces intent to break law – comment

That decision is shameful, illegal and immoral, and Congress should not let it happen.
The US State Department announced this week that the Biden administration intends to distribute $235 million in aid to the Palestinians, reportedly to “regain their ‘trust and goodwill’ after the Trump-era cuts.” The assistance package is set to take effect on April 10.


That decision is shameful, illegal and immoral, and Congress should not let it happen.
It is shameful to blame the Palestinians’ loss of aid on former president Trump. It was Congress, not Trump, who set the conditions for Palestinian aid. And it was the Palestinians, not Trump, who violated those terms with impunity. Hiding behind fake partisan politics to call what happened “Trump-era cuts” is nothing more than revisionist history.


It is illegal for the Biden administration to restore that aid because every year since 2014 the United States has made clear in annual appropriation legislation – adopted by a massive bipartisan majority each time – that if the Palestinian Authority were to initiate an International Criminal Court investigation, and/or so long as they were actively supporting such an investigation, the US would cut funding for the PA.
This requirement was reaffirmed again very recently by a strong bipartisan majority in the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021.

Despite these clear and repeated warnings, the PA did initiate, and does continue to openly and officially support, just such an investigation. By law they must be held to account for the willful disrespect of and disregard of American laws, values and interests. Anything else reflects the soft bigotry of low expectations.


Finally, restoring aid is immoral because the Biden administration knows exactly what the PA does with its international aid money. In a recent non-public report to Congress, the administration confirmed that the PA has continued to use that money to pay stipends through its official “Martyrs Fund” to murderous terrorists and their families. The PA spent at least $151m. in 2019 on its “pay-to-slay” program and at least $155m. in 2020. The fact that this program is codified in PA law – including that deadlier attacks get more money, thereby incentivizing bloodshed – is beyond sickening.


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