The day after Secretary of State Rex Tillerson's claim that the Palestinian Authority had ended its policy of paying terrorists was met with incredulity in Israel, Tillerson offered a more modest version of events, telling the House Foreign Affairs Committee on Wednesday that the matter was under "active discussion" with the Palestinians.
The comments by Mr. Tillerson, in testimony before the House Foreign Relations Committee, appeared to mark a departure from longstanding US policy and represents a potential break from other world powers, including Germany and France, who have supported the cease-fire and peace accords reached in Minsk, Belarus, in 2014 and 2015. "So, it is-we've been very clear with them that this is simply not acceptable to us".
"We are in a stage where we are moving into this next effort of, 'Are we going to have to, in effect, start taking secondary sanctions because countries we have provided information to have not, or are unwilling, or don't have the ability to do that?'" Tillerson told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
U.S. President Donald Trump said in April that the U.S. was "not getting along with Russian Federation at all" and the relations between the two countries "may be at an all-time low".
Tillerson's remarks reflect the deep disappointment that has seeped through the Congress, which is now planning legislation to cut off aid to the Palestinian Authority if the "pay to slay" policy does not end.
"The amendment to the underlying Iran sanctions bill maintains and substantially expands sanctions against the government of Russian Federation in response to the violation of the territorial integrity of the Ukraine and Crimea, its brazen cyberattacks and interference in elections, and its continuing aggression in Syria", said Republicans and Democrats on the committees.
Issa Qaraqe, head of prisoner affairs for the PA, said he knows "the allowances [to terrorists' families] were paid this month, and they will be next month too". "They have changed their policy, at least I have been informed they've changed that policy", he said during a Senate budget hearing.
"It was discussed directly when president Abbas made his visit with his delegation to Washington", Tillerson said, adding that Trump had raised the issue at the White House.
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Mika is still in the intensive care unit with chest wounds, though he has been downgraded from critical to serious condition. But unlike most political events in today's climate, the mood of the evening was light-hearted, and strikingly optimistic.
After issuing that waiver, the president's spokesman said he hoped to maximize his chances of rebooting peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians.
Several senators planned to question Tillerson even more closely about his view of relations with Moscow.
The payments are technically carried out by the Palestine Liberation Organization - an umbrella group for Palestinian factions - after Abbas earlier transferred the responsibility away from the PA in an attempt to deflect criticism of the payment system.
In February, South Carolina Sen. All of them, including around 300 children and 50 women, receive monthly support from the Palestinian Authority.
The legislation is named after former United States army officer Taylor Force, who was stabbed to death in Tel Aviv in March 2016 by a Palestinian terrorist.
Since then, Republicans have voiced a strong desire to see that policy changed in Ramallah.
"But in the last eight months, what price has Russian Federation paid for attacking American democracy?"
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