Aid to Palestinians promised by US blocked by Republican senator

The $50m for Gaza, occupied West Bank was approved by Congress but is being held up by a top Republican senator.

A key United States senator is blocking $50m in economic assistance to the Palestinians, undercutting promises of help by Secretary of State Antony Blinken after Israel’s bombing of Gaza in May and delaying the much-needed reconstruction of water resources and roads. Last month, Republican Senator James Risch placed a hold on the funding, already approved by the US Congress, using procedures under a 2018 US law and claiming he wants to ensure the funds would not go to the Palestinian Authority or Hamas. Advocates for US aid to the Palestinians say Risch’s hold on the funds is politically motivated and will eventually have to be lifted. A large group of Democrats in the US House, led by Representative Jamie Raskin, who is Jewish, has demanded Risch release the aid.