Taylor Force’s Father Will Watch Israeli Knesset Vote On A Bill Inspired By The Taylor Force Act

On Monday, the Israeli Knesset will vote on a bill inspired by the United States’ Taylor Force Act, which will prevent the Palestinian Authority from receiving funds from Israel until they stop paying terrorists and their families stipends from tax money.

The Taylor Force Act was signed into law in March of 2018 to prevent U.S. aid money from going to the PA while they still fund terrorists and their families. The act was named after Taylor Force, a U.S. Army veteran and American graduate student who was murdered by a terrorist in Tel Aviv while traveling to Israel on a school trip. The terrorist that killed him died in the incident, resulting in his relatives being paid a monthly pension by the Palestinian Authority.

Taylor Force’s father, Stuart Force, accepted an invitation to attend the vote by the co-sponsors of the bill.

According to the Jerusalem Post, Israel collects funds for the PA through tariffs and taxes. The new bill would aim to stop “pay to slay” policies by deducting the amount the PA pays to terrorists from the sum of money the PA receives from Israel. According to the Defense Ministry, the PA increased its budget for terrorists to $390 million in 2018 from its $280 million budget in 2017.

Originally, the bill intended to use the funds for victims of terrorism and to pay for damages caused by terrorism, but after pressure, the final version of the bill only freezes the funds.

Micah Lakin, an Israeli who lost both of his parents to terrorism committed by a Palestinian is upset with the revision. “I thought we were closing a circle. I thought, ‘Wow, it’s going to be three years on this night, and this will be my revenge on all the terrorists,'” he told Jewish News Syndicate. “Now, after this revision, I’m very, very disappointed in the government, particularly in the Likud Party and Netanyahu. They are making a huge mistake; every day has significant value.”

The bill is expected to pass.