US sent $221
million to Palestinians in Obama's last hours
By MATTHEW LEE and RICHARD LARDNER
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Officials say the Obama
administration in its waning hours defied Republican opposition and quietly
released $221 million to the Palestinian Authority that GOP members of Congress
had been blocking.
A State Department official and several
congressional aides said the outgoing administration formally notified Congress
it would spend the money Friday morning.
The official said former Secretary of State John
Kerry had informed some lawmakers of the move shortly before he left the State
Department for the last time Thursday.
The aides said written notification dated Jan. 20
was sent to Congress just hours before Donald Trump took the oath of office.
In addition to the $221 million for the
Palestinians, the Obama administration also told Congress on Friday it was
going ahead with the release of another $6 million in foreign affairs spending,
including $4 million for climate change programs and $1.25 million for U.N.
organizations, the congressional aides said. The aides and the State Department
official weren't authorized to speak publicly on the matter and demanded
anonymity.
Congress had initially approved the Palestinian
funding in budget years 2015 and 2016, but at least two GOP lawmakers - Ed
Royce of California, the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and
Kay Granger of Texas, who sits on the House Appropriations Committee - had
placed holds on it over moves the Palestinian Authority had taken to seek
membership in international organizations. Congressional holds are generally
respected by the executive branch but are not legally binding after funds have
been allocated.
The Obama administration had for some time been
pressing for the release of the money for the Palestinian Authority, which
comes from the U.S. Agency for International Development and is to be used for
humanitarian aid in the West Bank and Gaza, to support political and security
reforms as well as help prepare for good governance and the rule of law in a
future Palestinian state, according to the notification sent to Congress.
The $1.25 million for U.N. agencies is to be used
as voluntary contributions to the U.N. Peacebuilding Fund; the U.N. Special
Coordinator on improving the U.N. response to sexual exploitation and abuse;
the Montreal Protocol Secretariat, which oversees the protection of the ozone
layer; the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights; and the U.N. System Staff
College.
The $4 million for climate programs includes
assistance for clean energy, sustainable landscapes, cutting greenhouse gas
emissions and creating a climate technology center.
The last-minute allocation also contained $1.05
million in funding for the State Department's Special Representative for
Afghanistan and Pakistan office and the Bureau of South and Central Asian
Affairs.
The Palestinian funding is likely to draw anger from
some in Congress as well as the Trump White House. Trump has vowed to be a
strong supporter of Israel and has invited Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu to visit Washington next month.
He has also pledged to move the U.S. Embassy in
Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, although White House spokesman Sean Spicer
said Monday a final decision on that had yet to be made. Despite speculation in
Israel that an announcement of the move is imminent, Spicer said the
decision-making process is only in its very early stages.
"If it was already a decision, then we
wouldn't be going through a process," Spicer told reporters.
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