Bill Text: NJ SR12 | 2018-2019 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Condemns Palestinian Authority for paying families of terrorists who kill Israelis; calls on Trump Administration to stop payments to Palestinian Authority until practice stops.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2018-01-09 - Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Judiciary Committee [SR12 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2018-SR12-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
218th LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2018 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Senator CHRIS A. BROWN
District 2 (Atlantic)
SYNOPSIS
Condemns Palestinian Authority for paying families of terrorists who kill Israelis; calls on Trump Administration to stop payments to Palestinian Authority until practice stops.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel.
An Senate Resolution condemning the Palestinian Authority's practice of making payments to the families of terrorists who kill Israelis, and calling on the Trump Administration to stop payments to the Palestinian Authority until the practice stops.
Whereas, The Palestinian Authority (PA) has a practice of paying social welfare stipends to the families of Palestinian terrorists who attack or kill Israelis; and
Whereas, Such individuals are considered "martyrs" by the PA, whether they are killed or imprisoned, and therefore deserving of financial support for their sacrifice for the Palestinian state; and
Whereas, This practice is long-established in Palestine, dating back to before the Palestinian Authority was established in the 1990s through the Oslo peace process, with the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) paying the families of "martyrs" killed or prisoners detained by Israelis as a way to encourage and reward what they believe to be legitimate acts of resistance; and
Whereas, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has stated that the money the PA paid to the families of terrorists who were imprisoned or killed constitutes a major obstacle to peace, and he has ordered that his government start withholding tax revenue that Israel sends to the PA in an amount equal to the amount paid to the families of the "martyrs"; and
Whereas, Advisors to PA President Mahmoud Abbas have vehemently rejected the demand that the PA stop the payments, calling it an "insane" demand that would be like asking Israel to stop paying its soldiers, because the "martyrs" were the "victims" of Israel's control over the West Bank; and
Whereas, Members of the United States Senate have urged President Donald Trump to pressure PA President Abbas to end the practice because funds provided by the United States to the PA are being used to reward the families of terrorists, despite previous efforts by the United States to prevent the funds from being used for this purpose; and
Whereas, Although President Trump has met with PA President Abbas in Washington, D.C. and urged him to "resolve" the PA's practice of making payments, President Trump has stopped short of publicly and strongly calling for an end to the practice; and
Whereas, It is fitting and proper for this House to condemn the PA's practice of making payments to the families of terrorists who kill Israelis, and to call on the Trump Administration to stop payments to the PA until the practice stops; now, therefore,
Be It
Resolved by the Senate of the State of New
Jersey:
1. This House condemns the Palestinian Authority's practice of making payments to the families of terrorists who kill Israelis and calls on the Trump Administration to stop payments to the Palestinian Authority until the practice stops.
2. Copies of this resolution, as filed with the Secretary of State, shall be transmitted by the Clerk of the Secretary of the Senate to the President of the United States, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
STATEMENT
This Senate Resolution condemns the Palestinian Authority's practice of making payments to the families of terrorists who kill Israelis and calls on the Trump Administration to stop payments to the Palestinian Authority until the practice stops.
