The senator’s efforts to endear himself to the pro-Israel establishment hit an unexpected roadblock when the influential American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) pushed back. “We are not supporting the Paul bill,” a spokesman told The Hill last year. “We believe the law currently on the books is strong and ensures that aid is contingent on key conditions that help maintain America’s influence, keep Israel secure and advance the peace process.” Paul’s bill, called the Stand with Israel Act of 2014, died in Congress shortly after.

The U.S. currently provides over $400 million a year in aid to the PA. A total cessation of funding would have been a humanitarian disaster. According to United Nations’ estimates, initial rebuilding after last summer’s Gaza War is pegged at $367 million. But it was a security, rather than humanitarian imperative that killed Paul’s legislation. Elliott Abrams, who served as deputy national security advisor to former President George W. Bush, described the Stand with Israel Act as “not smart legislation.” Primarily, he said, because a significant chunk of U.S. aid to the PA goes to the Palestinian security forces, which cooperate with the Israelis on counterterrorism operations. Last November, after the Temple Mount stabbing, a member of the Israeli Defense Forces told Al Monitor, “Terror operatives continue to be arrested and interrogated [by Palestinian security forces], while the number of arrests is either on an upward trend or remains stable. Security coordination with Israel continues to be sacred.”

Just nine months after pushing back on Paul’s proposed legislation, AIPAC has reversed course. “Thank you senators for signing this important letter,” the lobbying group posted on their website in response to their warning to Kerry. AIPAC confirmed on Monday that they now support suspending aid to the Palestinian Authority because of its recent efforts to join the International Criminal Court.

The appropriations law that the senators pointed to as the legal rationale for suspending aid may not actually require the U.S. to do so. While there is currently an investigation into war crimes committed by both sides during the 2014 Gaza War, it was initiated by the ICC prosecutor, not by the PA. It is possible to argue that by joining the ICC and granting the court jurisdiction in Gaza and the West Bank, the PA is “actively supporting” the investigation—which is also prohibited in the appropriations bill.

The absence of 25 senators from the letter should not necessarily be interpreted as a faction of support for Palestinian membership in the ICC. Notably absent was Senator Rand Paul. When asked why he declined to sign a letter that espouses policies he has promoted in the past, his press secretary Eleanor May explained that he has authored another bill, which goes even further than existing prohibitions in the appropriations bill. His bill, called the Defend Israel by Defunding Palestinian Foreign Aid Act, would immediately cut funding to the PA until they withdraw their ICC membership. AIPAC has not yet confirmed whether or not they will support Paul’s latest legislation.