For most of its history, the Palestinian Authority (PA) has offered financial incentives to those who carry out terrorist attacks against Israel, a policy enshrined in Palestinian law in 2004. Western governments, while objecting to this practice, have been reluctant to penalize it by withholding funds from the PA—which is entirely dependent on their financial support—as the collapse of the government in Ramallah could lead to more violence in the West Bank. Moshe Yaalon and Amos Yadlin assess the situation:

Offering monetary compensation for acts of terrorism is just another aspect of the PA ’s multifaceted campaign to mobilize Palestinian society against Israel. . . . [Furthermore], carrying out this policy means that the cash-strapped PA allocates its money to those sitting in prison cells for killing Israelis at the expense of services that actually benefit the population (e.g., hiring more teachers, sanitation workers, etc.). . . .

[Furthermore, the] PA claims it abandoned violent resistance, and it was recognized by Israel on that basis. What legitimacy does President Mahmoud Abbas have as a partner for peace so long as his government rewards violence? In fact, not only does the PA reward Palestinians for acts of terrorism, but it pays those with Israeli citizenship a premium for undertaking such action—[which is] tantamount to sponsoring an insurrection inside of Israel as well. This [policy] completely undermines the PA’s recognition of Israel in 1993. . . .

Israel should not refrain from acting against these policies simply because doing so entails risks. Firstly, a failure to respond to PA support for terrorists due to fear of institutional collapse sends the message that Israel seeks to keep the PA alive at any cost. . . . Second, in the past the PA ’s threats to fold [in response to one Israeli policy or another] proved empty, and there is no credible indication that the organization will voluntarily give up its hold on power (especially considering Abbas’s recent efforts to consolidate power). Third, if the PA were to collapse in response to Israeli pressure, which is far from certain, the consequences would be significant though manageable.

Like any other government in the world, protecting its citizens is the state of Israel’s primary obligation; therefore, it has a moral imperative to do everything in its power to bring an end to the PA policy of financially incentivizing the murder of Israelis.

For some time, opponents of U.S support for Israel have been urging the White House to end the war in Gaza, or simply calling for a ceasefire. Douglas Feith and Lewis Libby consider what such a result would actually entail:

Ending the war immediately would allow Hamas to survive and retain military and governing power. Leaving it in the area containing the Sinai-Gaza smuggling routes would ensure that Hamas can rearm. This is why Hamas leaders now plead for a ceasefire. A ceasefire will provide some relief for Gazans today, but a prolonged ceasefire will preserve Hamas’s bloody oppression of Gaza and make future wars with Israel inevitable.

For most Gazans, even when there is no hot war, Hamas’s dictatorship is a nightmarish tyranny. Hamas rule features the torture and murder of regime opponents, official corruption, extremist indoctrination of children, and misery for the population in general. Hamas diverts foreign aid and other resources from proper uses; instead of improving life for the mass of the people, it uses the funds to fight against Palestinians and Israelis.

Moreover, a Hamas-affiliated website warned Gazans last month against cooperating with Israel in securing and delivering the truckloads of aid flowing into the Strip. It promised to deal with those who do with “an iron fist.” In other words, if Hamas remains in power, it will begin torturing, imprisoning, or murdering those it deems collaborators the moment the war ends. Thereafter, Hamas will begin planning its next attack on Israel:

Hamas’s goals are to overshadow the Palestinian Authority, win control of the West Bank, and establish Hamas leadership over the Palestinian revolution. Hamas’s ultimate aim is to spark a regional war to obliterate Israel and, as Hamas leaders steadfastly maintain, fulfill a Quranic vision of killing all Jews.

Hamas planned for corpses of Palestinian babies and mothers to serve as the mainspring of its October 7 war plan. Hamas calculated it could survive a war against a superior Israeli force and energize enemies of Israel around the world. The key to both aims was arranging for grievous Palestinian civilian losses. . . . That element of Hamas’s war plan is working impressively.