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Faizel Patel – 08/04/2021
US President Joe Biden has restored aid to the Palestinians to the tune of $235 million.
The move announced on Wednesday includes $75 million in economic and development assistance in the West Bank and Gaza, $10 million for peacebuilding programs through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and $150 million in humanitarian assistance for the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA).
In a statement the US State Department says a portion of the funding will support the East Jerusalem Hospital Network, as it continues to provide necessary and life-saving treatments to Palestinians.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that the US assistance to the Palestinians “serves important US interests and values” as “a means to advance towards a negotiated two-state solution.”
“It provides critical relief to those in great need, fosters economic development, and supports Israeli-Palestinian understanding, security coordination and stability.”
The move by the Biden Administration is the latest to reverse Trump-era policies on Palestinians.
Former President Donald Trump halted US aid for the UNRWA, closed the Palestinian Liberation Organization office in Washington and moved the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
Israel argues that the education provided by the UN-backed schools includes incitement against the Jewish state.
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