US: Biden administration earmarks $40 million for Palestinian security
04/07/2021
Group of Republicans said bracing for contesting Biden’s increasing aid to Palestinians
The administration of US President Joe Biden earmarked $40 million for aid to Palestinians, adding the sum to its previous allocations, the Associated Press reported on Wednesday.
The appropriate notification arrived in the Congress on Monday, even though it was dated April 2.
The new funds are set to support the security and law enforcement in Palestinian territories and make for the third time in two weeks that the administration ups its assistance to Palestinians.
“US government assistance seeks to build professional and accountable security and criminal justice institutions that maintain security and stability in the West Bank,” the State Department said in the document.
Previously, the Biden team also announced $75 million for healthcare, infrastructure and civil society projects and another $15 million for coronavirus assistance.
This week, the US is also set to restore its funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA).
While the Biden administration is hoping to use the funds to restore Washington’s ties with the Palestinians and prompt them to re-enter talks with Israel, a group of Republican lawmakers are planning to contest the moves.
They point at federal laws that ban the US from aid that benefits the Palestinian Authority as long as it keeps its stipends to families of terrorists held in Israeli prisons.
Read More: I24