The stabbing of Ludmila Lipovsky, an 83-year-old Holocaust survivor, outside her assisted living facility in Herzliya last week, and the terrorist attack near Kedumim on Monday morning crystallized a fundamental obstacle to peace in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict: the Palestinian Authority’s continued financial incentivization of terrorism.
While Israel contemplates Gaza’s future governance, these incidents serve as a stark reminder that any discussion of the PA’s role must begin with the complete renunciation of their “pay for slay” program.
The brutal attack on Lipovsky, who was waiting for her daughter to give her a ride to a doctor’s appointment, and the shooting attack near Kedumim, which claimed the lives of three people and wounded eight others, exemplify the ongoing threat that terrorism poses to Israelis which goes beyond the confines of any specific conflict zone.
This isn’t about military strategy or territorial disputes – it’s about an institutional culture that rewards violence against civilians.
The PA’s systematic program of paying stipends to terrorists and their families, which is codified in Palestinian law, is being partially paid for by American taxpayers. My close friend Sander Gerber, the CEO of Hudson Bay Capital, recognized this in 2017 and brought it to the attention of the US Congress.
Congress then passed the Taylor Force Act, cutting off US support for the PA until the PA ceases paying stipends to terrorists who murder Israelis and others in Israel, via the Palestinian Authority Martyrs Fund.
The Taylor Force Act, named after an American veteran killed by a Palestinian terrorist, was designed to halt this funding, but its principles need to be embraced by the PA itself, not just enforced externally. Without that, the PA cannot be taken seriously as a legitimate governing partner while still rewarding those who kill Israelis.
Prerequisite for Gaza governance
Many have discussed the possibility of the PA playing a role in Gaza’s future governance. But for this to be considered and for Israel to finally have security, the PA must completely abandon this payment system and demonstrably commit to combating terrorism of any kind.
This isn’t just about stopping payments – it’s about fundamentally transforming a culture that celebrates violence against Israeli civilians. It must be demanded and enforced in the fallout from October 7.
The violence perpetrated by Hamas against Israeli civilians demands a change of thinking and culture both by Israel, in how it views the Palestinian leadership’s role in governance, and by the PA, if it wishes to become a legitimate partner in governing Gaza.
The cowardly attack on Lipovsky and the shooting near Kedumim underscore why this transformation is nonnegotiable. Peace cannot be built on a foundation where one party financially incentivizes the murder of the other’s civilians. The PA cannot simultaneously show a desire to govern in Gaza while maintaining a system that rewards terrorism.
The PA needs to be proactive in stopping terrorism, not encouraging it. It must be made to enforce anti-terrorism measures, end the “pay for slay” program, and actively work with Israel and other regional and international partners to prevent and punish acts of terrorism. Without such commitments, it cannot be trusted to govern a region like the Gaza Strip, which has proven to be a hotbed for terrorism.
The path to peace and security requires a fundamental change in the institutional structures and cultural incentives that the PA uses to perpetuate violence.
Just as Gerber demonstrated to Congress and received bipartisan support for the Taylor Force Act, so, too, does the Israeli government need to recognize and declare in a unified voice that until the PA takes concrete steps to dismantle its system of rewarding terrorism, any talk of its role in future governance arrangements is a non-starter.
The writer is Aish’s CEO and the chairman of Aish Ha’am, a new party that will be running for the World Zionist Congress this spring. Rabbi Burg has also served on the board of governors of the Jewish Agency and as an executive board member of the Rabbinical Council of America.