Most people believe that the conflict in the Middle East is a complicated matter.  Well, it’s not.  What it all boils down to is one side, namely the Palestinians, wants the other side, namely Israel, dead.  All Muslim countries share this common goal and according to the Pew Research Center, there are 50 Muslim majority countries in the world yet there is only one, very tiny, Jewish state.  Muslims comprise over 23% of the world’s population while Israelis represent only about 0.11%.  Quite a contrast but Israel is strong and able to keep her enemies in check however her job is made easier with support from the United States.

Please don’t misunderstand.  The aid Israel receives from the United States benefits the U.S. more than it benefits Israel and here’s the reason.  U.S. dollars sent to Israel are for the purpose of giving Israel the ability to purchase new and advanced weapons for defense however these weapons, whether they be planes, guns or missiles, must be purchased from the United States.  Once Israel purchases these weapons, she then adapts them to her own needs thus improving already sophisticated technology.  In turn, Israel shares with the United States the improvements she makes to the U.S. weaponry.  Since much of Israel’s combat needs are for desert climates and terrain, the United States gains knowledge from Israel on how to effectively operate such regions.  This is but one of the strings attached to the aid Israel receives from the United States but in all instances, the United States benefits as much, if not more, than Israel.

Now for a quick look at the aid the United States has been sending to the Palestinians which, as of January 31, 2019, has been terminated.  A few days ago in a press release, the Palestinian Authority issued a statement attempting to mislead the world into believing that the United States has cut off aid to the Palestinians in order to pressure the PA leadership to compromise on their “right to self-determination.”  In other words, they are attempting to convince the world that this cessation of aid is a punitive measure designed to derail the efforts of the Palestinians to establish a state of their own.  They also claimed that the loss of U.S. aid would result in many Palestinians becoming unemployed thus adding to the misery of the Palestinian people. This is an outright fabrication and the truth must be told.

The United states stopped providing aid to the Palestinians because the Palestinians refused to stop their “Pay for Slay” policy whereby hundreds of millions of dollars of U.S. aid were being used to incentivize and reward terrorism and pay the families of jailed and dead terrorists a significant monthly stipend.

Remember American veteran Taylor Force who was murdered by a Palestinian terrorist while visiting Israel?  When it became known that the PA was giving money to terrorists and the families of martyrs, the U.S. passed the Taylor Force Act which made U.S. aid to the Palestinians contingent on them eliminating their “Pay for Slay” policy.  However, instead of choosing the moral, ethical and peaceful route which is to stop paying for murder, the Palestinian Authority elected instead to decline all U.S. aid.  This is clear evidence that the Palestinian leadership places rewarding terrorists above the well-being of the Palestinian population.  

So, while it is true that the United States has discontinued giving aid to the Palestinian Authority, it is not true that the U.S. is responsible in any way for additional Palestinian suffering or hardships.  What is true is the PA leadership is continuing its blame game attempting to deflect responsibility for the sad state of affairs of the Palestinian citizenry.  Instead of choosing the pathway of peace by halting their “Pay for Slay” program, they have instead elected to throw U.S financial aid in the trash can along with the welfare of the Palestinian people.