A major US Christian group is calling on Congress to support a recently proposed bill — the Taylor Force Act — that would cut off US funding to the Palestinian Authority if it continues to pay monetary rewards to terrorists and their families.

“Americans cannot support an entity that sponsors terrorism and incites violence,” Pastor John Hagee — the founder and chairman of Christians United for Israel (CUFI) — said in a statement released on Monday. “The Taylor Force Act isn’t about Democrat vs. Republican, it’s about right and wrong. Every member of Congress should back this legislation, and it should be one of the easiest decisions they make.”

As reported by The Algemeiner, the Taylor Force Act was introduced two months ago by Republican Senators Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Dan Coats of Indiana and Roy Blunt of Missouri. It was named after the 28-year-old West Point graduate who was murdered in a stabbing attack carried out by a Palestinian terrorist in Tel Aviv in March.

 

 David Brog — the director of CUFI — said in a statement, “We cannot ignore the fact that when we send hundreds of millions of dollars to the PA, we are subsidizing these terror payments. That’s precisely why we must cut our aid to the PA until they stop funding terror. Doing so won’t harm the prospects for peace. On the contrary, forcing the PA to renounce terrorism in both word and deed is a fundamental first step towards achieving peace.”

Just before the Taylor Force Act was unveiled, Senator Graham told The Algemeiner in an interview that he was “hoping to start a debate that is long overdue.”

“We’ve got to go ahead and put sunlight on this problem,” he said. “The PA incentivizes young Palestinians to commit acts of terror…American dollars are going to a government that literally rewards people for killing their neighbors. And until we get that addressed, I don’t think the peace process will ever move forward.”

Speaking with The Algemeiner in mid-September, Senator Coats called the PA’s actions “morally repugnant,” saying they “must be stopped.”

“To provoke, reward and incentivize terrorist acts through financial rewards is one of the most outrageous things I’ve ever come across,” he said.

In remarks at the Zionist Organization of America’s annual awards gala in New York City earlier this month, Republican Congressman Ed Royce — the chairman of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs — said the PA’s “pay-to-slay scheme has got to stop.”

Two weeks ago, the Wall Street Journal called on President-elect Donald Trump to back the Taylor Force Act.

Watch a new CUFI video advocating for the passage of the Taylor Force Act below: