US Senator outraged that for decades, PA President Abbas has continued to pay millions of dollars each month, in regular monthly stipends, to the families of men & women convicted of murder or terrorism.

By MICHAEL WILNER

WASHINGTON — US Senator Dan Coats, Republican of Indiana, called for an end to US aid to the Palestinian Authority this week until the body ceases its program of providing stipends to convicted murderers.

Delivering remarks from the Senate floor, the senator said he is increasingly concerned that US taxpayer dollars go to funding programs that incite further Palestinian violence against Israeli civilians.

For decades, the Palestinian Authority has maintained a program that provides regular monthly stipends to men and women convicted by Israel of murder or terrorism. Members of Congress have long repudiated the program, but it has never been enough for the legislature to suspend its annual aid– the PA’s lifeblood.

“This system of payments has been formalized and expanded by President Abbas in presidential directives,” Coats said. “Palestinian terrorist prisoners are regarded by the PA as patriotic ‘fighters’ and as employees of the government of the Palestinian Authority.”

“We will identify the amount of money that flows from the PA to the PLO for this purpose and cut US assistance by that amount at least,” the senator continued. “If that partial cut-off of US aid is not sufficient to motivate the Palestinian Authority to end this immoral system of payments to terrorists, I will propose a complete suspension of financial assistance until the policy is changed.”

Senate aides tell The Jerusalem Post that language on the matter is likely to be included in this year’s final foreign operations appropriations bill, as it has in years past.

And an aide to Coats told the Post that that members of the Senate Appropriations Committee are working to address the matter.

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