Bill > S198

This bill aims to impose sanctions on the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and Palestinian Authority (PA) for their system of compensation that supports terrorism. The bill highlights the PLO and PA's practice of providing financial payments to terrorists and their families, which the legislation argues incentivizes and rewards acts of terrorism. Specifically, the bill references the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel, which resulted in over 1,200 civilian deaths and the kidnapping of more than 240 people. The legislation mandates that the President impose sanctions on foreign persons or entities involved in this compensation system, including blocking their property, revoking visas, and preventing them from entering the United States. Additionally, the bill targets financial institutions that facilitate transactions supporting these terrorist payments by prohibiting or restricting their correspondent and payable-through accounts in the U.S. The sanctions will remain in effect until the Secretary of State certifies that the PLO and PA have ceased their system of compensating terrorists. The bill builds upon the 2018 Taylor Force Act, which previously sought to restrict U.S. assistance to the Palestinian Authority due to these terrorist payment practices, and aims to create more comprehensive accountability for what the legislation describes as a systematic approach to financially supporting terrorism.

Housing and Urban Affairs

https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/198/all-info