Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and President Donald Trump more indirectly, called on the Palestinian Authority Tuesday to cease its policy of paying terrorists who kill Israelis and supporting their families.
During remarks in the West Bank alongside Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas, the morning after a suicide bomber in England killed 22 people, Trump said violence should never be "tolerated, funded and even rewarded."
"I was gratified that President Abbas joined the summit and committed to taking firm but necessary steps to fight terrorism and confront its hateful ideology," Trump said. "It's so interesting that our meeting took place on this very horrible morning of death to innocent, young people. Peace can never take root in an environment where violence is tolerated, funded and even rewarded."
Trump called for condemnation of such terror attacks in a "single, unified voice."
Later on Tuesday, Netanyahu spoke before Trump at the Israel Museum and noted the statement Trump made while standing next to Abbas. While the terrorist in Manchester was condemned by Abbas, Netanyahu said, the suicide bomber's family would have received money from the Palestinian Authority if the victims were Israelis.
"And as you said this morning, Mr. President, funding and rewarding terrorism must end," Netanyahu said. "Standing next to you, President Abbas condemned the horrific attack in Manchester. I hope this heralds a real change, because if the attacker had been Palestinian, and the victims had been Israeli children, the suicide bomber's family would have received a stipend from the Palestinian Authority. That's Palestinian law. That law must be changed."
The Washington Free Beacon reported last year that the Palestinian Authority pays terrorists and their families roughly $140 million a year, or about 10 percent of is annual budget. Official Palestinian media outlets have glorified the perpetrators of violent attacks on Israelis.
The Palestinian who killed U.S. Army veteran Taylor Force to death and wounded several others in March of 2016 was hailed on official media outlets as a "martyr."
"We welcome every drop of blood spilled in Jerusalem. This is pure blood, clean blood, blood on its way to Allah," Abbas said in September of 2015 on Palestinian television. "With the help of Allah, every martyr will be in heaven, and every wounded will get his reward."