President Joe Biden. White House, Public domain.
The Biden administration has announced plans to restore $235m (£171m) of aid to Palestinians, in a reversal of a cut made by Donald Trump.
UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, will receive two-thirds of the aid. UNRWA experienced a sharp financial crisis when the Trump administration slashed $360m in US funding.
A spokesperson said that Biden wanted to “restore credible engagement” between Palestinians and Israelis in the long-stalled peace talks. The US will also resume security assistance programmes with the Palestinians.
The final third is dedicated to the coexistence work via the Middle East Partnership for Peace Act, a cause championed by LFI. This will include economic and development assistance, as well as peacebuilding programmes.
The announcement comes in addition to the $15m of aid relating to Covid-19 and food insecurity announced by the US in March.
Secretary of state Antony Blinken said: “US foreign assistance for the Palestinian people serves important US interests and values. It provides critical relief to those in great need, fosters economic development, and supports Israeli-Palestinian understanding, security co-operation and stability.”
