II 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 4779 

To impose sanctions with respect to the system of compensation of the 

Palestine Liberation Organization and the Palestinian Authority that 

supports acts of terrorism. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JULY 25, 2024 

Mr. COTTON (for himself, Mr. SCOTT of South Carolina, Mr. CRUZ, Mr. 

RICKETTS, Mr. BUDD, Mr. SCHMITT, Mr. RUBIO, Mr. HAGERTY, Mr. 

CRAMER, Mr. SULLIVAN, Mr. SCOTT of Florida, Mr. CORNYN, and Mr. 

GRAHAM) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred 

to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs 

A BILL 

To impose sanctions with respect to the system of compensation of the Palestine Liberation Organization and the 

Palestinian Authority that supports acts of terrorism. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘PLO and PA Terror 

5 Payments Accountability Act of 2024’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS; STATEMENT OF POLICY. 

7 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress makes the following find8 ings: 


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1 (1) The Palestine Liberation Organization and 

2 the Palestinian Authority provide hundreds of mil3 lions of dollars per year in payments, salaries, and 

4 benefits to terrorists and the families of terrorists as 

5 part of a system compensation that incentivizes, en6 courages, rewards, and supports acts of terrorism. 

7 (2) The Palestine Liberation Organization and 

8 the Palestinian Authority policies, laws, and regula9 tions that direct, authorize, enact, facilitate, and im10 plement a system of compensation in support of acts 

11 of terrorism require payments, salaries, and benefits 

12 to terrorists including those who are members and 

13 part of organizations designated as foreign terrorist 

14 organizations by the Secretary of State under sec15 tion 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 

16 U.S.C. 1189), including Hamas and Islamic Jihad, 

17 that receive direct support including financial and 

18 military assistance from Iran, the leading state 

19 sponsor of terrorism in the world. 

20 (3) In 2018, Congress passed the Taylor Force 

21 Act (title X of division S of Public Law 115–141; 

22 132 Stat. 1143) into law that calls on the Palestine 

23 Liberation Organization and the Palestinian Author24 ity to end their system of compensation that 

25 incentivizes, encourages, rewards, and supports acts 


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1 of terrorism and restricts United States assistance 

2 ‘‘that directly benefits the Palestinian Authority’’ 

3 unless the Secretary of State certifies to Congress 

4 that the Palestine Liberation Organization and the 

5 Palestinian Authority have met specific conditions 

6 including terminating that system of compensation 

7 and revoking the policies, laws, and regulations that 

8 authorize and implement the system of compensa9 tion. 

10 (4) Despite the enactment of the Taylor Force 

11 Act, the Palestine Liberation Organization and the 

12 Palestinian Authority have continued their system of 

13 compensation that incentivizes, encourages, rewards, 

14 and supports acts of terrorism. 

15 (5) On October 7, 2023, Hamas, Islamic Jihad, 

16 and other Gaza-based terrorist organizations at17 tacked Israel on Shabbat and during the Jewish hol18 iday of Simchat Torah, committing the deadliest at19 tack on the Jewish people since the Holocaust. 

20 (6) On October 7, 2023, Hamas fired thou21 sands of rockets into Israel, deliberately targeting 

22 Israeli civilians, and thousands of terrorists invaded 

23 Israeli communities—massacring, raping, torturing, 

24 decapitating, burning alive, seriously injuring, and 

25 kidnapping Israelis and Americans, including men, 


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1 women, children, babies, and grandparents, and in2 cluding Holocaust survivors, with children being 

3 murdered in front of their parents and parents being 

4 murdered in front of their children. 

5 (7) On October 7, 2023, Hamas murdered more 

6 than 1,200 who were mostly civilians, and kidnapped 

7 more than 240, including Israeli and American men, 

8 women, children, babies, and grandparents, and took 

9 them to Gaza as hostages. 

10 (b) STATEMENT OF POLICY.—It shall be the policy 

11 of the United States to hold the Palestine Liberation Or12 ganization and the Palestinian Authority accountable in13 cluding through the imposition of sanctions for providing 

14 payments, salaries, and benefits to terrorists and the fami15 lies of terrorists as part of a system compensation that 

16 incentivizes, encourages, rewards, and supports acts of 

17 terrorism. 

18 SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 

19 In this Act: 

20 (1) ACT OF TERRORISM.—The term ‘‘act of ter21 rorism’’— 

22 (A) means an act of international ter23 rorism (as defined in section 2331 of title 18, 

24 United States Code); and 


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1 (B) includes the meanings given the terms 

2 ‘‘terrorist activity’’ and ‘‘engage in terrorist ac3 tivity’’ by section 212(a)(3)(B) of the Immigra4 tion and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 

5 1182(a)(3)(B)). 

6 (2) APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMIT7 TEES.—The term ‘‘appropriate congressional com8 mittees’’ means— 

9 (A) the Committee on Foreign Affairs and 

10 the Committee on the Judiciary of the House of 

11 Representatives; and 

12 (B) the Committee on Foreign Relations, 

13 the Committee on Banking, Housing, and 

14 Urban Affairs, and the Committee on the Judi15 ciary of the Senate. 

16 (3) FOREIGN PERSON.—The term ‘‘foreign per17 son’’ means any person or entity that is not a 

18 United States person. 

19 (4) KNOWINGLY.—The term ‘‘knowingly’’, with 

20 respect to conduct, a circumstance, or a result, 

21 means that a person had actual knowledge, or 

22 should have known, of the conduct, the cir23 cumstance, or the result. 

24 (5) SYSTEM OF COMPENSATION.—The term 

25 ‘‘system of compensation’’, with respect to the PalesVerDate Sep 11 2014 22:44 Aug 22, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S4779.IS S4779

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1 tinian Authority and the Palestinian Liberation Or2 ganization, means the payments described in sub3 paragraph (B) of section 1004(a)(1) of the Taylor 

4 Force Act (22 U.S.C. 2378c–1) and the system of 

5 compensation described in subparagraph (C) of that 

6 section. 

7 (6) UNITED STATES PERSON.—The term 

8 ‘‘United States person’’ means— 

9 (A) a United States citizen or an alien law10 fully admitted for permanent residence to the 

11 United States; 

12 (B) an entity organized under the laws of 

13 the United States or any jurisdiction within the 

14 United States, including a foreign branch of 

15 such an entity; or 

16 (C) a person in the United States. 

17 SEC. 4. IMPOSITION OF SANCTIONS ON CERTAIN FOREIGN 

18 PERSONS SUPPORTING TERRORISM. 

19 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 90 days after the 

20 date of the enactment of this Act, and an ongoing basis 

21 thereafter, the President shall impose the sanctions de22 scribed in subsection (b) on— 

23 (1) any foreign person that— 

24 (A) has served in a position as a represent25 ative, minister, official, or employee of the PalVerDate Sep 11 2014 22:44 Aug 22, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S4779.IS S4779

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1 estine Liberation Organization, the Palestinian 

2 Authority, or any other foreign person that has 

3 directed, authorized, been responsible for, mate4 rially assisted with, enacted, implemented, or 

5 otherwise facilitated the Palestine Liberation 

6 Organization and the Palestinian Authority sys7 tem of compensation supporting acts of ter8 rorism; or 

9 (B) has provided payments, salaries, and 

10 benefits to terrorists and the families of terror11 ists as part of the Palestine Liberation Organi12 zation and the Palestinian Authority system of 

13 compensation supporting acts of terrorism; 

14 (2) any entity that directly or indirectly has op15 erated, ordered, controlled, directed, or otherwise fa16 cilitated the Palestine Liberation Organization and 

17 the Palestinian Authority system of compensation 

18 supporting acts of terrorism including the Commis19 sion of Prisoners and Released Prisoners, the Insti20 tute for the Care of the Families of the Martyrs and 

21 the Wounded, the Palestine National Fund, National 

22 Association of the Families of the Martyrs of Pal23 estine, or any successor, agency, instrumentality, or24 ganization, or affiliated entities thereof; or 


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1 (3) any foreign person that has knowingly pro2 vided significant financial, technological, or material 

3 support and resources support to, or knowingly en4 gaged in a significant transaction with a foreign per5 son described in subparagraphs (1) or (2). 

6 (b) SANCTIONS DESCRIBED.—The sanctions that 

7 shall be imposed with respect to a foreign person described 

8 in subsection (a) are the following: 

9 (1) BLOCKING OF PROPERTY.—The President 

10 shall exercise all of the powers granted to the Presi11 dent under the International Emergency Economic 

12 Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.) to the extent 

13 necessary to block and prohibit all transactions in 

14 property and interests in property of the foreign per15 son if such property and interests in property are in 

16 the United States, come within the United States, or 

17 are or come within the possession or control of a 

18 United States person. 

19 (2) INELIGIBILITY FOR VISAS, ADMISSION, OR

20 PAROLE.— 

21 (A) VISAS, ADMISSION, OR PAROLE.—An 

22 alien described in subsection (a) is— 

23 (i) inadmissible to the United States; 


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1 (ii) ineligible to receive a visa or other 

2 documentation to enter the United States; 

3 and 

4 (iii) otherwise ineligible to be admitted 

5 or paroled into the United States or to re6 ceive any other benefit under the Immigra7 tion and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101 et 

8 seq.). 

9 (B) CURRENT VISAS REVOKED.— 

10 (i) IN GENERAL.—An alien described 

11 in subsection (a) is subject to revocation of 

12 any visa or other entry documentation re13 gardless of when the visa or other entry 

14 documentation is or was issued. 

15 (ii) IMMEDIATE EFFECT.—A revoca16 tion under clause (i) shall— 

17 (I) take effect immediately; and 

18 (II) automatically cancel any 

19 other valid visa or entry documenta20 tion that is in the alien’s possession. 

21 (iii) PENALTIES.—The penalties pro22 vided for in subsections (b) and (c) of sec23 tion 206 of the International Emergency 

24 Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1705) 

25 shall apply to a person that violates, atVerDate Sep 11 2014 22:44 Aug 22, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S4779.IS S4779

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1 tempts to violate, conspires to violate, or 

2 causes a violation of this section or any 

3 regulations promulgated to carry out this 

4 section to the same extent that such pen5 alties apply to a person that commits an 

6 unlawful act described in section 206(a) of 

7 that Act. 

8 (c) CONGRESSIONAL REQUESTS.—Not later than 30 

9 days after receiving a request from the chairman or rank10 ing member of one of the appropriate congressional com11 mittees with respect to whether a person meets the criteria 

12 of a person described in subsection (a), the President 

13 shall— 

14 (1) determine if the person meets such criteria; 

15 and 

16 (2) submit a classified or unclassified report to 

17 the chairman or ranking member, that submitted the 

18 request with respect to that determination that in19 cludes a statement of whether or not the President 

20 imposed or intends to impose sanctions with respect 

21 to the person. 

22 (d) IMPLEMENTATION; REGULATIONS.— 

23 (1) IN GENERAL.—The President may exercise 

24 all authorities provided under sections 203 and 205 

25 of the International Emergency Economic Powers 


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1 Act (50 U.S.C. 1702 and 1704) for purposes of car2 rying out this section. 

3 (2) REGULATIONS.—Not later than 60 days 

4 after the date of the enactment of this Act, the 

5 President shall issue such regulations or other guid6 ance as may be necessary for the implementation of 

7 this section. 

8 (e) MATERIAL SUPPORT OR RESOURCES DEFINED.— 

9 In this section, the term ‘‘material support or resources’’ 

10 has the meaning given that term in section 2339A(b) of 

11 title 18, United States Code. 

12 SEC. 5. IMPOSITION OF SANCTIONS WITH RESPECT TO FI13 NANCIAL INSTITUTIONS THAT FACILITATE 

14 TRANSACTIONS SUPPORTING TERRORISM. 

15 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 90 days after the 

16 date of the enactment of this Act, and on an ongoing basis 

17 thereafter, the President shall impose the sanctions de18 scribed in subsection (c) with respect to each foreign fi19 nancial institution that engages in the activities described 

20 in subsection (b). 

21 (b) ACTIVITIES DESCRIBED.—A foreign financial in22 stitution engages in an activity described in this subsection 

23 if the institution— 

24 (1) processes, participates in, facilitates, or pro25 vides a transaction that are payments, salaries, or 


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1 benefits, or any other conduct described in section 

2 4(a); or 

3 (2) knowingly conducted or facilitated any sig4 nificant financial transaction with any foreign per5 son subject to sanctions under section 4(a). 

6 (c) SANCTIONS DESCRIBED.—The President shall 

7 prohibit the opening, and prohibit or impose strict condi8 tions on the maintaining, in the United States of a cor9 respondent account or a payable-through account by a for10 eign financial institution described in subsection (a). 

11 (d) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

12 (1) CORRESPONDENT ACCOUNT; PAYABLE13 THROUGH ACCOUNT.—The terms ‘‘correspondent ac14 count’’ and ‘‘payable-through account’’ have the 

15 meanings given those terms in section 5318A of title 

16 31, United States Code. 

17 (2) FOREIGN FINANCIAL INSTITUTION.—The 

18 term ‘‘foreign financial institution’’ has the meaning 

19 of that term as determined by the Secretary of the 

20 Treasury pursuant to section 104(i) of the Com21 prehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability, and Di22 vestment Act of 2010 (22 U.S.C. 8513(i)). 

23 SEC. 6. TERMINATION. 

24 The provisions of this Act shall have no force or effect 

25 only if the Secretary of State certifies in writing to the 


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1 appropriate congressional committees that the Palestine 

2 Liberation Organization and the Palestinian Authority 

3 system of compensation providing payments, salaries, and 

4 benefits to terrorists and the families of terrorists that 

5 incentivizes, encourages, rewards, and supports acts of 

6 terrorism as described in this Act, has ceased to be in ef7 fect and is no longer taking place. 

Æ 


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