As Israeli President Isaac Herzog receives a warm welcome in Washington, two influential Republican lawmakers are withholding $75 million in American aid from the poorest Palestinians. Humanitarian groups warn that this move by Rep. Michael McCaul and Sen. Jim Risch could lead to starvation and violence in Gaza, where millions of Palestinians are already struggling under an Israeli blockade.
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) has highlighted that half a million children are particularly at risk if the funding is delayed. In a letter to McCaul and Risch, 25 organizations, including Oxfam America and Refugees International, expressed concern that the plight of Palestine refugees would intensify to an unprecedented catastrophe without the aid.
McCaul and Risch utilized their positions on the House Foreign Affairs Committee and Senate Foreign Relations Committee, respectively, to enact holds on the funds. Risch’s spokesperson, Suzanne Wrasse, put the responsibility for releasing the funds on President Joe Biden, stating that the requested funds are outside of an emergency situation and need to address long-term concerns about UNRWA.
This dispute comes at a time when U.S.-Israel ties are being discussed prominently. However, the contrast between the warm reception of Herzog and the reluctance to provide aid to Palestinians demonstrates that the U.S. is far from achieving a balanced approach to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Republicans have taken a harsher stance towards Palestinians since former President Donald Trump significantly reduced aid and undertook actions that previous U.S. presidents had avoided. On the other hand, Biden has attempted to restore U.S. relations with Palestine and promote a two-state solution but has largely ignored calls to challenge Israeli policies or acknowledge Palestinian autonomy.
Supporters of aid to Palestinians argue that providing aid is a moral imperative and that the partisan differences over America’s approach to the Palestinians should not affect aid. They believe that withholding aid would create unnecessary suffering and further worsen the situation on the ground.
Gaza, which has one of the highest unemployment rates in the world, is heavily reliant on international assistance for nutritional needs. The World Food Programme’s suspension of aid in May has already worsened the situation, and the delay in U.S. funding could lead to a humanitarian disaster.
UNRWA estimates that the continued hold on the funds would result in shortfalls by September, affecting its ability to provide essential food items to 1.2 million Palestinians in Gaza. Advocates for the aid hope that the urgency of the situation will convince lawmakers to accept guarantees about vetting and use different strategies to address concerns at UNRWA.
Despite meetings between UNRWA and the staffers of Risch and McCaul, the funds remain on hold. The funding is intended solely for food assistance and is desperately needed by people in a dire situation.