Israel-American Coalition for Action head Shawn Evenhaim. Photo: Abraham Joseph Pal.

JNS.org – The Israeli-American Coalition for Action, a non-profit advocacy group, has launched a new campaign to forge a bipartisan coalition in support of the Taylor Force Act, a bill seeking to cut US aid to the Palestinian Authority (PA) over payments to the families of convicted terrorists.

“Over the course of the IAC for Action’s advocacy campaign, the group of lawmakers publicly supporting the Taylor Force Act — and the goals it advances — has grown significantly,” said Shawn Evenhaim, chairman of the IAC for Action. “We are proud that our campaign has helped drive a high-level, bipartisan effort to pass this important piece of legislation, and we will continue working with the Congress in support of the bill until it becomes law.”

The campaign is drawing on the group’s grassroots network of activists, professionals as well as prominent pro-Israel supporters, such as philanthropists Sheldon Adelson, Haim Saban and Adam Milstein to encourage stronger bipartisan support for the bill.

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-Colo.) recently introduced the Taylor Force Act, which would make conditional US aid to the PA halting its payments to terrorists and their families. The Palestinian terror payments currently total about $300 million annually. The PA’s payments to imprisoned terrorists increases, according to the number of years they stay behind bars. The legislative bill is named for a former US Army officer murdered by Palestinian terrorists in Jaffa last year.

Last week, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson declared that the PA had ended its payments to the families of convicted terrorists in testimony before Congress. However, he later walked back his comments, saying the Trump administration was in “active discussion” with the Palestinians on the issue.