Taylor Force Act

Taylor Force Act
Great Seal of the United States
Long titleTo condition assistance to the West Bank and Gaza on steps by the Palestinian Authority to end violence and terrorism against Israeli citizens.
Codification
Acts amendedForeign Assistance Act
U.S.C. sections amended22 U.S.C. § 2346
Legislative history

The Taylor Force Act is an Act of the U.S. Congress to stop American economic aid to the Palestinian Authority (PA) until the PA ceases paying stipends through the Palestinian Authority Martyr's Fund to individuals who commit acts of terrorism and to the families of deceased terrorists.[1][2][3] The Act was signed into law by U.S. President Donald Trump on March 23, 2018, which will cut about a third of US foreign aid payments to the PA.[4] On August 24, 2018, the United States cut more than $200 million in direct aid to the PA.[5] Also in August 2018, the United States stopped giving aid to UNRWA, representing an aid cut of US$300 million.[6]

In February 2019, the US confirmed it stopped all USAID to Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza, in a step linked to new anti-terrorism legislation. The Anti-Terrorism Clarification Act of 2018 (ATCA, P.L. 115–253), passed by Congress and signed into law by Trump on October 3, 2018, came into force in February 2019, and allows Americans to sue in US courts those receiving US foreign aid over alleged complicity in "acts of war". The US has stopped providing more than $60m in annual funds for the Palestinian security services at the request of the PA because of a fear of such lawsuits.[7] The stopping of funding for security services has raised some concerns.[8]

  1. ^ Tubbs, Ashlyn (September 28, 2016). "Senators introduce Taylor Force Act to cut, terror attack funding". KCBD. Retrieved November 15, 2016.
  2. ^ "Pay for Slay in Palestine U.S. aid becomes a transfer payment for terrorists". The Wall Street Journal. March 27, 2017. Retrieved June 8, 2017.
  3. ^ Zanotti, Jim; Sharp, Jeremy M. (September 12, 2017). Taylor Force Act: Palestinian Terrorism-Related Payments and U.S. Aid (PDF). Washington, D.C.: Congressional Research Service. Retrieved October 15, 2017.
  4. ^ "Taylor Force Becomes Law". Retrieved July 3, 2018.
  5. ^ Michael Wilner (August 24, 2018). "Trump cuts $200 million in aid to Palestinians". The Jerusalem Post.
  6. ^ "U.S. ends aid to United Nations agency supporting Palestinian refugees". The Washington Post. August 31, 2018. Retrieved September 2, 2018.
  7. ^ Knell, Yolande (February 1, 2019). "US stops all aid to Palestinians". BBC News.
  8. ^ Jackson Richman (August 8, 2019). "US legislation seeks to restore USAID projects to Palestinian areas". Israel Hayom.