A federal lawsuit is proceeding in Texas claiming that the Biden administration knowingly violated U.S. law by providing funding to the Palestinian Authority even as the government body still operated its "Pay to Slay" program.
Federal Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk on Tuesday evening ordered for the lawsuit, filed by America First Legal in 2022, to enter the discovery phase, a pre-trial process that parties use to gather information, Fox News reported.
The lawsuit stated that President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken continued paying the Palestinian Authority after former President Donald Trump ended the practice with the Taylor Force Act, a law named after West Point graduate Taylor Force who was murdered by a terrorist in Tel Aviv.
The law prohibits the federal government from giving U.S. taxpayer dollars to the Palestinian Authority until it stops supporting terrorism, but in 2021, the State Department approved plans to give $250 million in U.S. taxpayer dollars to the Palestinian people.
The Palestinian Authority operates a "Martyrs Fund," dubbed by critics as the "Pay to Slay" program. It gives cash stipends to the families of Palestinians who were killed or incarcerated after attempting to perpetrate a terrorist attack against Israel.
"Under Pay to Slay, the Palestinian Authority rewards terrorists and/or their families with increased rewards in proportion to the casualties inflicted. Terrorists who are married, or have children, or are Israeli residents/citizens receive an additional payment. Terrorists who spend more than 5 years (in a single term or cumulatively) in prison are paid a guaranteed salary by the Palestinian Authority for the rest of their lives," the lawsuit states.
Related Story: Biden Admin Continues to Fund Palestinian Groups Supporting Terrorists, Watchdog Says
