There has been a rapprochement of sorts between Hamas and the PLO recently.
The Palestinian Authority's announcement that it will send 3,000 police officers to Gaza as part of a unity agreement with Hamas could mean U.S. taxpayers are now at least indirectly helping an officially designated terror organization maintain law and order -- and its grip on power.
And the PLO has a long history of supporting terrorists directly.
For the past 18 years, the Palestinian Authority has honored Palestinian terrorists serving criminal sentences in Israeli prisons and rewarded the families of those “martyred” by their own violent acts.
This comes as no surprise to Israelis, who have both suffered the attacks of terrorists for decades and watched as the terrorists themselves were honored with official salaries or buried as patriotic heroes.
But it is a surprise to American officials.
Even after two decades of PA support for terrorism, the Obama administration continues to ignore it or even make excuses for these payments.
The payments can be high, at about $2500 USD per month per terrorist.
So, did the Obama administration condition the aid to the PLO on the grounds that it must first demonstrate stopping support of terrorist groups like Hamas or stopping payments to convicted terrorists?
