Snap Fact #251 - President Obama Continues to Work for a Just and Sustainable Israeli-Palestinian Peace!

In overriding the hold, a State Department official stated “the funds deliver critical support to the Palestinian people and those leaders seeking to combat extremism within their society and build a more stable future. Without funding, our programs risk cancellation. Such an occurrence would undermine the progress that has been made in recent years in building Palestinian institutions and improving stability, security, and economic prospects, which benefits both Israelis and Palestinians alike.” 

The $192 million package was part of our FY2011 Economic Support Fund (ESF) that was appropriated by Congress. The U.S. has committed over $4 billion in bilateral assistance to the Palestinians since the establishment of limited Palestinian self-rule in the West Bank and Gaza Strip in 1993. Since FY2008, this assistance has averaged about $600 million annually. Successive Administrations have requested the aid to support the following U.S. policy priorities: 

• Combating, neutralizing, and preventing terrorism against Israel from Hamas and other militant organizations. 

• Creating a cycle of stability and prosperity that inclines Palestinians toward peaceful coexistence with Israel and prepares them for self-governance. 

• Meeting humanitarian needs and preventing further destabilization. 

Although one may think that the holds on already appropriated $192 million FY2011 ESF funds might be justifiable, those holds were not consistent with the Administration’s policy to maintain the PA as a viable entity for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian problem. Similarly, the contentious comments concerning Obama’s $400 million civilian aid package to the PA in June 2010 failed to comprehend the same necessity. That funding was intended to ameliorate the effects of the blockaded Gaza Strip on the civilian population. 

The $400 million aid was directed at increasing access to schools, clean drinking water, and housing as well as creating jobs for Palestinians. President Obama called the situation in the blockaded Gaza Strip “unsustainable” and called on both the Israelis and Palestinians to work together to improve the situation there. The aid was subsequent to the attempt by a Turkish-based flotilla to break the Israeli blockade of Gaza, an attempt that ended in disaster.  Obama refrained from calling for an end to the blockade citing Israel’s concern that weapons might get into the hands of terrorists. He indicated the importance of making sure that Israel’s security needs are met and that the needs of the people in Gaza are also met. His final point at that time was “that in the long run, the only real way to solve this problem is to make sure that we’ve got a Palestinian state side-by-side with an Israel that is secure.”