H.R. 1710 — PLO and PA Terror Payments Accountability Act of 2025

This section sets forth seven congressional findings regarding payments, salaries, and benefits provided by the Palestine Liberation Organization and Palestinian Authority to terrorists—including members of foreign terrorist organizations designated under 8 U.S.C. 1189 (e.g., Hamas and Islamic Jihad)—and their families as part of a system incentivizing terrorism; the persistence of such payments despite the Taylor Force Act; and the October 7, 2023, attacks by Hamas and others that killed more than 1,200 people (mostly civilians) and resulted in the kidnapping of more than 240 individuals. The section declares it U.S. policy to hold the Palestine Liberation Organization and Palestinian Authority accountable for these payments, including through sanctions.

This section defines six terms for purposes of the Act: (1) act of terrorism, as an act of international terrorism under 18 U.S.C. 2331 or as specified in the Immigration and Nationality Act (i.e., terrorist activity or engaging in terrorist activity); (2) appropriate congressional committees, as the House Committees on Foreign Affairs and Judiciary and the Senate Committees on Foreign Relations and Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs; (3) foreign person, as any person or entity that is not a United States person; (4) knowingly, as having actual knowledge or should have known of the conduct, circumstance, or result; (5) system of compensation, with respect to the Palestinian Authority and Palestine Liberation Organization, as payments under specified provisions of the Taylor Force Act; and (6) United States person, as a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident, entity organized under U.S. law (including foreign branches), or person in the United States.

This section requires the President, not later than 90 days after enactment and on an ongoing basis thereafter, to impose sanctions on (1) foreign persons who have served in representative, ministerial, official, or employee positions with the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), Palestinian Authority (PA), or related entities facilitating the PLO/PA system of compensation supporting acts of terrorism (i.e., payments, salaries, and benefits to terrorists and their families); (2) entities operating, directing, or facilitating that system, including the Commission of Prisoners and Released Prisoners, the Institute for the Care of the Families of the Martyrs and the Wounded, the Palestine National Fund, National Association of the Families of the Martyrs of Palestine, or successors or affiliates; and (3) foreign persons knowingly providing significant financial, technological, or material support to, or engaging in significant transactions with, persons or entities described in (1) or (2). The required sanctions are (1) blocking and prohibiting all transactions in the sanctioned person's property and interests in property within U.S. jurisdiction, using all powers granted under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA, 50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.); and (2) rendering affected aliens inadmissible to the United States, ineligible for visas, admission, parole, or other Immigration and Nationality Act (INA, 8 U.S.C. 1101 et seq.) benefits, with immediate revocation of any existing visas or entry documents. (Thus, IEEPA civil and criminal penalties under 50 U.S.C. 1705 apply to violations.) This section further requires a determination and report within 30 days on congressional requests regarding whether a person meets the sanction criteria; authorizes exercise of all IEEPA authorities under 50 U.S.C. 1702 and 1704 for implementation; directs issuance of regulations within 60 days of enactment; and defines "material support or resources" by reference to 18 U.S.C. 2339A(b).

This section requires the President, not later than 90 days after enactment and on an ongoing basis thereafter, to impose sanctions on foreign financial institutions that (1) process, participate in, facilitate, or provide transactions involving payments, salaries, benefits, or other conduct described in section 4(a); or (2) knowingly conduct or facilitate any significant financial transaction with a foreign person sanctioned under section 4(a). The sanctions prohibit such institutions from opening correspondent or payable-through accounts in the United States or prohibit or impose strict conditions on maintaining such accounts.

This section terminates the provisions of this Act upon written certification by the Secretary of State to the appropriate congressional committees that the Palestine Liberation Organization and Palestinian Authority have ceased their system of compensation providing payments, salaries, and benefits to terrorists and their families that incentivizes, encourages, rewards, and supports acts of terrorism.