The Trump administration has completely halted all funding for the Palestinian Authority security forces, the Washington Post reported on Wednesday, citing both US and PA officials.
This time, the administration’s decision comes at a crucial time as the PA is currently fighting to maintain its power and legitimacy. In December, the PA security forces launched a widespread offensive in Jenin to root out rival terror organizations.
“For years, it has been widely acknowledged that the Palestinian Authority educates, glorifies, and finances terrorism – but our recent research uncovered dozens of instances in which the PASF officers were actively engaged in murderous acts terrorism,” Regavim Director-General Meir Deutsch said in a statement.
The PA and their ruling party, Fatah showed their unity with Hamas by their presence at the “show” of handing over the remains of the murdered hostages today.
This is a long overdue development. Funds being used to drive out “rival terror organizations” is not what the money should be used for. ELIMINATING all terror and terror organizations is what the PASF should be using the funds for. Any funding to PA security forces should be for legitimate security purposes and not for perpetuating terrorist acts against the State of Israel. If they can’t do that, then all funding should cease. It’s a no brainer.