Trump administration released tens of millions in aid to Palestinians
The Trump administration quietly released tens of millions of foreign aid to the Palestinian Authority recently that had been frozen as part of a review process.
President Donald Trump (left) and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas (center) in Bethlehem on May 23, 2017. Credit: Shealah Craighead/White House
The foreign aid, which totals roughly $61 million, is mainly set to fund security cooperation between the P.A. and Israel, including in areas such as drug enforcement and anti-terrorism coordination.
“We recently decided to move ahead with FY2017 International Narcotics and Law Enforcement funding for Palestinian Authority security assistance and Non-Proliferation, Anti-Terrorism, Demining and Related Programs (NADR) in the West Bank,” a State Department official said.
“This assistance underpins Palestinian Authority security cooperation with Israel, which remains in force despite recent tensions,” the official said.
“This decision does not in any way prejudge the outcome of our review of other funding streams and programs. It is simply the first decision to emerge from the review, which is ongoing,” the official added.
The U.S has frozen most of the $251 million earmarked to the Palestinian Authority this year after they announced they would boycott the Trump administration due to the decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital late last year. The U.S. has also withheld some $300 million to UNRWA, the U.N. agency that deals with Palestinian refugees.
“We pay the Palestinians HUNDRED OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS a year and get no appreciation or respect,” Trump said in a tweet last January. “With the Palestinians no longer willing to talk peace, why should we make any of these massive future payments to them?”
JNS
