|
By Morton A. Klein, ZOA National President
(JULY 19, 2022 / JPOST) The Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) opposed giving President Joe Biden the Israeli Presidential Medal of Honor “to thank [Biden] for being a true friend of Israel” and for “decades-long support for Israel’s security, deepening our alliance and fighting antisemitism.” This award makes no sense. A true friend of Israel and fighter against antisemitism would not pursue the numerous policies undermining Israel’s sovereignty and security that Biden and his administration are pursuing, including hundreds of millions of U.S. tax dollars financially aiding and abetting Palestinian Arab terror against Jews.
Nor would a true friend of Israel take advantage of Israel’s caretaker government to make visits, as Biden is doing, to symbolic Palestinian Authority institutions in eastern Jerusalem. Former Israeli Ambassador Danny Danon noted that these Biden visits are unprecedented and were “created to pave the way for the U.S. administration to challenge Israel’s sovereignty over Jerusalem.”
President Joe Biden’s policies toward Israel include bragging about giving $500 million (NIS 1.7 billion) of U.S. taxpayer dollars to the Palestinian Arabs – and is planning to announce an additional aid package for Palestinian Arab facilities during his trip to Israel. This funding for Palestinian Arab government functions, aids and abets terror by freeing up the $400 million (NIS 1.3 billion) per year that the Palestinian Authority spends on substantial lifetime pensions to reward Arab terrorists for murdering Jews and Americans. (The more Jews murdered, the higher the PA reward.) Biden is blatantly violating and/or circumventing the Taylor Force Act. The Biden administration’s indirect funding of these heinous PA payments needs to end.
In addition, Biden restored funding to UNRWA – which hides Hamas rockets in its schools, employs Hamas terrorists, and teaches children to murder Jews. UNRWA textbooks currently used throughout both Gaza and the Palestinian Authority teach students to die as a martyr by killing Israelis.
| 
