With four rabbis killed by Palestinian terrorists in Jerusalem this week, members of the Florida congressional delegation are calling for halting aid to the Palestinian Authority and other sponsors of terrorism.
U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Fla., called for freezing federal aid to the Palestinian Authority and noted he backed similar legislation earlier in the year cutting off funds to Egypt.
“This act of cold-blooded violence is an abomination,” said Buchanan. “Releasing millions of hard-earned taxpayer dollars to the Palestinian Authority is outrageous. How can we justify this? We need to send an undeniable message to the world that actions do indeed have consequences.”
Buchanan, the only member of the Florida delegation on the Ways and Means Committee, noted that over the last two decades the federal government sent $5 billion to Palestine with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry announcing in October an additional $212 million will be going to the Palestinian Authority.
Other members of the Florida delegation also called to end funding to groups with ties to terrorism. On Tuesday, U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla., the chairwoman of the Subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa, took to the House floor. In her speech, Ros-Lehtinen called for ending federal taxpayer dollars going to the Palestinian Authority and groups with ties to Hamas.
“I rise today to express my deepest condolences to the families of the four Israelis – three of whom are also American citizens — who were murdered by Palestinian terrorists in Jerusalem during morning prayers in a synagogue,” Ros-Lehtinen said on the House floor. “My thoughts and prayers are with the people of Israel who again have to endure another tragedy at the hands of Palestinian terrorists.
“It is no coincidence that this latest string of attacks on innocent Israelis comes after the supreme leader of Iran urged Palestinians to use violence against Israel and called for Israel’s destruction, as did the terrorist group Hamas,” Ros-Lehtinen continued. “This is another example of Iran’s dangerous meddling in an effort to attack our U.S. interests and Israel, and Hamas’ continued incitement of violence and terror. There is now a clear link to terrorism in both the West Bank and Gaza, and there can be no U.S. taxpayer dollars going to support a unity government that is backed by Hamas and the Palestinian Authority.”
On the other side of the aisle, U.S. Rep. Ted Deutch, D-Fla., the ranking Democrat on the Middle East and North Africa Subcommittee, also called the attack an “act of terror” on Tuesday.
“The gruesome murder of four innocent civilians, including three Americans, in the midst of morning prayer at a Jerusalem synagogue is an act of terror that demands universal condemnation from the United States and the entire international community,” Deutch said. “Palestinian leaders must put an end to the incitement of violence. Attacks on innocent worshippers gathered for prayer at a synagogue or any other holy place is despicable, inhumane, and barbaric. During this time of mourning, my thoughts are with the people of Israel and the families of those lost to this senseless violence, American-born Rabbi Moshe Twersky, Rabbi Kalman Levine, Rabbi Aryeh Kupinsky, and British-born Rabbi Avraham Shmuel Goldberg, and I offer my prayers to the injured victims.”
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or follow him on Twitter: @KevinDerbySSN
