The Biden administration is quietly stepping up its financial assistance to the Palestinians in the latest reversal of former President Donald Trump’s foreign policy.
The State Department, along with the U.S. Agency for International Development, notified Congress of their intention to provide nearly $ 75 million in aid to the region just one day after publicly announcing a $ 15 million pledge to vulnerable Palestinian groups. .
The State Department declined to say whether the $ 15 million was included in the $ 75 million mentioned to Congress or whether the two were separate payments.
The funds do not require further approval by Congress, as they have been largely allocated in the 2020 fiscal year budget.
However, they were not spent before President Biden took office, due to the Trump administration’s policy of blocking almost all aid to the Palestinians.
President Trump has since severed ties with the Palestinian Authority in August 2018 amid heightened tensions over the then commander-in-chief’s decision to move the US embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
The decision to block aid led to the loss of more than $ 200 million to the Palestinians.
The Biden administration has not gone out of its way to make payment renewals public, probably an effort not to cause concern among pro-Israel Americans about its positions in the Middle East.
Commenting, State Department spokesman Ned Price reiterated the Biden administration’s support for resuming aid to the Palestinians.
“We continue to believe that American support for the Palestinian people, including financial support, is in line with our values. It is in line with our interests. Of course, it is in line with the interests of the Palestinian people, “Price told reporters.
“It is also in line with the interests of our partner, Israel, and we will have more to say about that in the future,” he continued.
Although Biden may not support Trump’s doctrine on all aspects of foreign policy, he welcomed an effort by the previous president: the Abraham Accords.
The Abraham Accords were signed in September last year, normalizing relations between Israel and two Gulf countries in an agreement led by the Trump administration.
Biden undertook at that time to build on the work of his predecessor, praising the diplomatic achievements that brought Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Israel together.
With Post threads