U.S. Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield announced Thursday that Washington will return funding to the Palestinians, halted by former U.S. President Donald Trump.
She said the U.S. will invest $ 15 million to support vulnerable communities on the West Bank and Gaza Strip with COVID-related issues.
“President Biden is renewing U.S. aid programs that will support economic development and humanitarian aid for the Palestinian people,” Thomas-Greenfield said speaking at a briefing from the UN Security Council on the situation in the Middle East.
“This urgent, vital support is one part of our renewed commitment to the Palestinian people,” she said.
“The aid will help Palestinians in dire need, provide greater stability and security for both Israelis and Palestinians. That is consistent with our interests and values, and it aligns with our efforts. to end the pandemic and food insecurity of the world. “
Thomas-Greenfield also said the Biden administration is “particularly concerned that the pandemic has put significant pressure on both Palestinian economic and humanitarian needs.”
She said “the United States will continue to stand firm with Israel, especially when it is unjustly marked out by unilateral intentions and actions in international organizations,” she noted. has recently launched an investigation by the International Criminal Court against Israel over alleged war crimes in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
As for any future efforts to launch peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians, Thomas-Greenfield said that “the United States has re-entered the vision of a two-state solution that agree together, one in which Israel lives in peace and security together with a viable Palestine. state.
“We believe that this vision is the best way to ensure the future of Israel as a democratic and Jewish state, while at the same time adhering to the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people for a state of their own and to be live with dignity and security. “