(JTA) — More than 30 Republicans in Congress, spearheaded by presidential candidate Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, called on the Obama administration to close the PLO office in Washington. The letter, citing what it called incitement by Palestinian leaders during the recent spate of violence in the West Bank, said the administration should apply a 1987 law banning the Palestine Liberation Organization from operating in the United States. U.S. presidents have waived the law since 1994, soon after the Oslo accords between Israel and the PLO, allowing the Palestinian body quasi-diplomatic status in the U.S. capital. “Closing the PLO office in Washington, D.C., would send a clear statement that the kind of incitement to violence perpetrated by the PLO and its leaders will not be tolerated,” said the letter sent Dec. 18 to Secretary of State John Kerry and released this week to the media. President Barack Obama has called for an end to inflammatory language from the Palestinian leadership. U.S. officials also note the role that the Palestinian Authority security forces play in preventing terrorist attacks.