Donald Trump
Donald TrumpReuters
Orthodox Jewish organization The National Council of Young Israel (NCYI) today issued the following statement regarding the United States’ decision to close the PLO Mission in Washington, DC:

“The United States made the right move by shuttering the PLO Mission in our nation’s capital and sending an unequivocal message to the Palestinian Authority that its recurring role as an antagonist to Israel and an impediment to peace will have real ramifications. It would be unthinkable for the United States to continue having diplomatic relations with an entity that unabashedly rewards terrorists and murderers with large stipends, continues inciting terrorism, steadfastly repudiates efforts to achieve a lasting peace agreement with Israel, and makes a mockery of international law by attempting to demonize Israel at the International Criminal Court.

“The Trump Administration’s decisions to cut aid to the PA and close the PLO Mission are steps in the right direction and clearly demonstrate that it is no longer business as usual. No longer is the U.S. going to turn a blind eye to the Palestinian Authority’s glorification of terrorism, its despicable practice of incentivizing murder and mayhem by paying terrorists and their families, and its anti-Israel machinations at the ICC. The moral and ethical policies put forth by the Trump Administration in response to the PA’s actions are an unmistakable sign that the days of the U.S. tolerating the Palestinian Authority’s obstructionist and opportunistic ways relative to Israel are over.

“We commend the White House, National Security Advisor John Bolton and the State Department for making it abundantly clear that the United States continues to stand with its ally Israel, and will not allow the International Criminal Court to limit Israel’s right to defend itself against attacks by its enemies.

“It is fitting that the decision to close the PLO Mission was made on the holiday of Rosh Hashanah, the Day of Judgment, when we are judged for our actions and G-d determines our fate for the year ahead. With its long history of hostility towards Israel and support of terrorism, the Palestinian Authority indeed learned its diplomatic fate from the United States on the Day of Judgment.”