U.S. Brushes Aside Israeli Objections to Palestinian Aid

Israel objected sharply on Wednesday to the latest in a series of Biden administration decisions to restore funding to the Palestinians that had been cut off during Trump years.

Israel’s Ambassador to the U.S. and the U.N. Gilad Erdan said in response that Yerushalayim “is strongly opposed to the anti-Israel and anti-Semitic activity happening in UNRWA’s facilities” and says the agency incites against Israel and “should not exist in its current format.”

Erdan said that he has “expressed my disappointment and objection to the decision to renew UNRWA’s funding without first ensuring that certain reforms, including stopping the incitement and removing anti-Semitic content from its educational curriculum, are carried out.”

But Washington is brushing aside the objections. “The United States is pleased to announce that, working with Congress, we plan to restart U.S. economic, development, and humanitarian assistance for the Palestinian people,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement.

“This includes $75 million in economic and development assistance in the West Bank and Gaza, $10 million for peace-building programs through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and $150 million in humanitarian assistance for the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA),” Blinken said. The $235 million is in addition to $15 million the U.S. pledged for the Palestinians in March.