WASHINGTON, D.C. – America First Legal (AFL) proudly represents Congressman Ronny Jackson (TX-13), Stuart and Robbi Force, parents of West Point graduate Taylor Force murdered by a Palestinian terrorist in Tel Aviv, and Sarri Singer, the survivor of a suicide bombing on a Jerusalem bus, in their lawsuit against President Biden and Secretary of State Blinken. Filed this past December, this lawsuit demands the U.S. government abide by the Taylor Force Act and cease certain funding to the Palestinian Authority (PA), which encourages and incentivizes terrorist attacks on Israelis and Americans by paying terrorists and their families for committing acts of terrorism. The need and timeliness of this lawsuit is unfortunately illustrated by the recent heinous actions committed by Palestinian terrorists. 

In fact, just this past week, Palestinian terrorists have increased their terrorist attacks on innocent Israelis, all with the blessing and celebration of the PA. Last Friday, a 21-year-old Palestinian terrorist shot and killed seven people and wounded at least three others as they exited a synagogue in Jerusalem after prayers in observance of Shabbat. The next morning, a 13-year-old Palestinian terrorist shot and seriously wounded a father and son outside Jerusalem’s Old City. Celebrations for these attacks with fireworks and sweets were memorialized all over the internet, including the mother of Friday night’s murderer herself handing out candy.

An official in the Fatah movement, which runs the PA, praised the terrorists, announcing, “We greet and bless these heroic operations in Jerusalem by the heroes of Jerusalem.” 

While the PA has a long history of committing acts of terrorism, these recent attacks follow a significant increase in terrorist activities with 2022 being the greatest number since 2006. Indeed, for decades, the PA - lavishly funded by the U.S. and other Western governments - has actually paid terrorists to indiscriminately murder and maim people living in or visiting Israel. Among other things, the PA’s “Pay to Slay” program rewards terrorists and their families with cash bounties based on the number and severity of the civilian casualties they inflict. The mother of Friday night’s Palestinian murderer rejoiced at the large cash reward she is slated to receive for her son’s terrorist actions.

The Biden Administration is well aware that the PA pays Palestinian terrorists to injure or kill innocent Americans and Israelis in Israel. Yet, in blatant violation of  the Taylor Force Act, a federal law that prohibits the government from sending American taxpayer dollars to the PA until it stops supporting terrorism, President Biden and Secretary of State Blinken have resumed payments to the PA after the Trump Administration had stopped these payments in compliance with the Taylor Force Act. 

The impetus of the Taylor Force Act stems from the  brutal murder of U.S. Army Iraq and Afghanistan war veteran and West Point graduate Taylor Force, who was in Israel while studying for his MBA when he was brutally murdered. The Palestinian Authority initiated payments from its “Martyr’s Fund” as a reward to the terrorist’s family. Thereafter, Congress passed, and President Trump signed the Taylor Force Act. The Act prohibits U.S. economic assistance that directly benefits the Palestinian Authority unless and until the Secretary of State certifies the PA has terminated Pay to Slay, revoked all of its laws, proclamations, and practices paying terrorists and their families, disavowed terrorism, and has taken active steps to stop it. Under President Trump, the U.S. government obeyed the law. 

President Biden, however, has resumed payments, and the U.S. government has lawlessly transferred hundreds of millions U.S. taxpayer dollars that directly benefit the Palestinian Authority. President Biden and Secretary Blinken are violating the law and facilitating the PA’s violent extremism and virulent, eliminationist antisemitism. AFL is proud to represent these plaintiffs in its lawsuit to stop the Biden Administration from defying federal law. 

Statement from America First Legal Senior Counselor Reed D. Rubinstein:

“Last Sabbath, seven innocent people were murdered at their house of worship by a Palestinian terrorist. In response to this news, tens of thousands of Palestinians took to the streets to hand out candy and “celebrate” the heinous crime, just as they did after 9/11. Violating both the letter and spirit of the Taylor Force Act, the Biden Administration has given over a billion U.S. taxpayer dollars to benefit the Palestinian Authority knowing full well that this money means more terror, more corruption, and more death. As the Palestinians brag about the cash bounties paid for each dead and wounded Israeli, Biden merely winks, and writes them another massive check,” said Reed Rubinstein.

Statement from Sarri Singer: 

“I have no words for the recent wave of attacks this past weekend where innocent Israeli civilians were murdered including a 14-year-old boy attending synagogue services Friday night. There is no doubt the recent foreign aid of US taxpayers' money sent by  the Biden administration to the PA or its instrumentalities  enables the PA’s ‘Pay for Slay’ program which further incentivizes this current wave of attacks. 

The blood of innocent civilians is on the hands of every government sending foreign aid which is supposed to be used to assist the Palestinian people but instead goes to indoctrinating young people and encouraging them to carry out terrorist attacks on innocent Israelis like the 13-year-old terrorist who shot at civilians walking home from synagogue on Saturday morning this past weekend,” said Sarri Singer.

Statement from Stuart and Robbi Force: 

“My wife and I continue to be very upset about the murderous actions by Palestinian terrorists in Israel, with the most recent victims being the death of seven innocent people and five injured as they were leaving synagogue this past Friday night in Jerusalem, followed by the attempted murder of a father and son by a 13-year-old Palestinian terrorist the next morning.  The Taylor Force Act, named after our son, was passed by Congress and signed by President Trump to stop this Pay to Slay. Yet the Biden Administration has resumed payments to the PA notwithstanding its Pay to Slay program. Until the maiming and murder of innocents stops, there will be no hope for peace. And, until the Biden Administration stops facilitating Palestinian terrorism, the PA has no reason to stop its reprehensible behavior. For the sake of the thousands horrifically impacted now and in the future, Robbi and I call upon President Biden to stop sending fungible taxpayer dollars to the PA that will end up funding terrorism,” said Stuart Force.

Statement from U.S. Congressman Ronny Jackson (TX-13):

“I am deeply concerned that the Biden administration is signing-off on hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars, which are being used to help finance violence against Israel. The recent terrorist attacks against innocent Israeli families are a deeply disturbing example of the devastation caused by Biden’s failed foreign policy. Biden is actively stabbing our greatest ally in the back and Democrats are ecstatic. This lawsuit aims to compel the Biden administration to act in accordance with the laws that are on the books, to stem the flow of funds from the White House to radical Islamic terrorists. Together, we will hold this administration accountable and fight to bring a permanent end to the pay-to-slay program. Let’s be clear: Israel has the right to exist in security, free from violent assault, and the United States should do everything we can to uphold that right and oppose all who threaten it,” said Congressman Jackson.

Read the lawsuit here.