Treating the Palestinians Fairly
In yet another sign that he’s no longer wedded to the failed policies of the past, President Trump just threatened to cut funding to the Palestinians, who are “no longer willing to talk peace.”
That follows UN Ambassador Nikki Haley’s similar threat to withhold US funding for the UN Relief and Works Agency, which for decades has perpetuated Palestinians as refugees (and a pool of potential terrorists).
Both long-overdue steps underscore Haley’s pointed statement last month that Washington won’t ignore public attacks by those whose palms are outstretched for US cash.
What Team Trump wants is both simple and reasonable: a return to the negotiation table, which Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has rejected in the wake of Trump’s Jerusalem declaration.
Washington, the single largest donor of Palestinian aid, has long turned a blind eye to the PA’s intransigence as well as its abuses, including massive corruption and the payment of “pensions” to the families of suicide bombers and other terrorists.
That’s why the Taylor Force Act, a bill to slash aid to the PA until it ends those blood-money payments, is making its way through Congress.
And Trump’s larger point is entirely spot-on: With the PA leaders unwilling to even talk with Israel, “Why should we make any of these massive future payments to them?” In other words, no more blank checks.