The Biden Administration has come under fire recently for its ties to a controversial deal which would reportedly pay convicted Palestinian terrorists who inadvertently receive aid from the United States.
Experts and activists claim that the Administration is complicit in helping terrorism enrich itself through an agreement with the Palestinian governing body, Hamas. The deal, which was first reported by The Times of Israel last week, would reportedly see the United States providing money to the Palestinian Authority to cover their obligations to compensate families of suspected terrorists serving jail terms in Israeli prisons.
In exchange, Palestinian officials have agreed to halt their payments to the families of convicted Palestinian terrorists, which have been widely viewed as a form of incentivization for acts of terror against the Jewish state.
Critics allege that by agreeing to the deal, the Biden Administration is providing tacit support for Hamas and its terrorist activities. Additionally, activists argue that by paying the families of convicted terrorists, the United States could be inadvertently providing financial support for terror and emboldening Hamas leaders to continue their violent campaign against Israel.
“This is a clear green light from the Biden Administration to terrorism,” said former Israeli ambassador to the United Nations Dore Gold. “It allows Hamas to have financial incentive to continue its terrorism against Israel, and sends a message that the United States is not a reliable partner in the fight against terror.”
More troubling for critics is that should the Palestinian Authority fail to withhold the payments in the agreement, the money going to the families of convicted terrorists could potentially come from the United States’ own foreign assistance budget.
It remains to be seen, however, if the Biden Administration will indeed move forward with the controversial deal. For now, many observers in Washington, DC and around the world are closely paying attention to the Administration’s steps in this delicate matter. If the deal is indeed finalized, it could have profound consequences for the US-Israel relationship, and the Middle East peace process as a whole.