Taylor Force Act Passes Senate Hurdle, on Path to Become Law

"A Senate bill that would force the Palestinian Authority to end its program of compensating convicted murderers and terrorists in Israel passed through a critical committee markup and vote on Thursday.

The Taylor Force Act earned support from Democratic senators and several Israel advocacy organizations that were previously holding out for edits to the legislation. Sixteen members of the committee voted in favor of the bill, while five voted against it.

The act will now proceed to the Senate floor for a full vote.

The bill compels the State Department to cut off funding to the PA over its 'martyr' compensation scheme, but new language 'spells out the steps by which payments to the PA could resume,' said the office of Senator Lindsey Graham, Republican of South Carolina, who authored the legislation... 'We absolutely cannot accept a policy that rewards acts of terrorism like the one that tragically took the life of Taylor Force,' said Senator Bob Corker, Republican from Tennessee and chairman of the committee, referring to the namesake of the bill– a US Army veteran who was murdered in Jaffa last year.

'This legislation will force the Palestinian Authority to make a choice,' Corker said: 'Either face the consequences of stoking violence or end this detestable practice immediately.'"