Federal Judge Matthew Kaczmarek (Associated Press)

A federal judge in Texas rejected an attempt by the administration of US President Joe Biden to block a lawsuit aimed at preventing aid to the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

The lawsuit dates back to 2022, and behind it are Republican Congressman Ronnie Jackson and three other people, including the parents of an American soldier who was stabbed by a Palestinian during his visit to Israel in 2017.

The lawsuit returned to the forefront after the Al-Aqsa Flood operation launched by the Palestinian resistance on the seventh of last October against the Israeli occupation.

The US Department of Justice has urged US District Court Judge Matthew Kaczmarek in Amarillo to reach the conclusion that Representative Ronnie Jackson and his associates cannot file a lawsuit challenging the foreign aid.

The Justice Department said the plaintiffs lacked legal standing to file suit because their claims of increased risk of harm were “entirely speculative.”

The Ministry confirmed that the rejection of the case was justified, which is to avoid involving the courts in an important issue related to foreign policy.

But Judge Kaczmarek, appointed by former Republican President Donald Trump, ruled last Friday that those filing the lawsuit showed a “legitimate and justified” fear of being harmed if the funding continued, which is “confirmed by recent global events,” referring to the Al-Aqsa Flood operation.

Kaczmarek's court is a favorite venue for conservatives who challenge government policies.

Based on this ruling, the judiciary continues to consider the case until it is decided.

Congressman Jackson said in a statement on Monday that the decision “brings us one step closer to holding the administration accountable for its illegal financing of terrorism with American taxpayer money,” as he put it.

It is noteworthy that Jackson and his co-defendants regularly visit Israel and are represented before the court by the “America First Legal” organization, a legal group founded by former Trump White House advisor Stephen Miller.

Taylor Force

The lawsuit centers on the Taylor Force Law, named after an American soldier who was stabbed by a Palestinian while visiting Israel in 2017.

Congress passed the law in 2018 to prevent the Palestinian Authority from paying subsidies to family members of Palestinian martyrs and prisoners.

The law prohibits the US government from providing economic aid that would directly benefit the Palestinian Authority until it stops providing these aids.

The Biden administration said that the law does not prevent so-called economic support funds for the West Bank and Gaza Strip, but only restricts how the money can be spent. In fiscal year 2023, Congress appropriated $225 million for this assistance.

But the lawsuit alleges that the administration is “illegally laundering American taxpayer money” by providing assistance to nongovernmental organizations that directly assist the Palestinian Authority in violating the law.

Source: Reuters