US announces millions of dollars in resumed aid to Palestinians
The Biden administration announced the resumption of US aid to the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) on Wednesday.
A statement from the State Department said that Washington planned US economic, development, and humanitarian assistance for the Palestinian people.
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Part of this renewed aid will come in the form of $150 million in humanitarian assistance for UNRWA, $75 million in assistance to the West Bank and Gaza and another $10 million “for peacebuilding programs through the US Agency for International Development (USAID).”
“Vital security assistance programs” will be resumed by the Biden administration, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said.
Despite strong opposition from Israel and Republican officials, State Department Spokesman Ned Price said the US was committed to the safety of Israel as well as the Palestinian people.
US security assistance to Palestinian security forces helped to promote and advance the rule of law in the West “through the development of capable security institutions.”
Wednesday’s move was the latest step taken by the Biden administration 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.
Biden pledged to restore aid to Palestinians as one of the steps he would take to help.
The US announced last month that it was giving $15 million in humanitarian aid to Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
US ambassador to the UN, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, previously said the aid would bring more stability and security to “both Israelis and Palestinians alike.”
Biden has repeatedly said he supports a two-state solution to end the decades-long Arab-Israeli conflict.
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