Remember when Donald Trump set up the scene in front of the White House last June? He staged shield-bearing riot officers and mounted police detonating flash-bang grenades and shooting a chemical spray into a suddenly-smoke-filled group of peaceful protesters. A helicopter swooped overhead as reported by The New York Times. The ex-president made his grand entrance striding into the scene surrounded by his heavy-weights. They were then-Attorney General Willliam Barr, Army General Mark Milley, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Esper, among others. What was Trump hiding?
During the drama, there was one chilling error. As Trump stood in front of St. John’s Church, informally known as the president’s church. he held a Bible — upside down. It was a prop. The ex-president referred to “Two Corinthians,” at another time, an error that any Sunday-Schooled second-grader would correct. Maybe, holding the Bible upside down portended something Trump was doing behind the scenes, NPR reported.
President Joe Biden’s Secretary of State Antony Blinken just announced that America will restore the $235 million in Palestinian assistance that Trump had cut off, according to The Arab News. The funds were primarily for the United Nations Relief and Works (UNRWA) agency, a program for Palestinian refugees.
The purpose of UNRWA has been to educate a little over one-half million Palestinian children, and “part of the funding will support the East Jerusalem Hospital Network, assistance that was cut by the previous administration:”
‘[UNRWA has been] consistent with the values and principles of the United Nations (UN) and promotes human rights, tolerance, equality and nondiscrimination (sic) of race, gender, language and religion.’
America had been providing 30 percent of UNRWA’s assistance and $360 million in 2017. Director of the UNRWA Representative Office in Washington, Elizabeth Campbell, claimed that Trump cut $500 million from the program:
‘UNRWA is a humanitarian organization, we’re a civilian organization, we provide civilian services to a very vulnerable refugee population, humanitarian development services. What has been extremely difficult is to have been thrust into a hyper political (sic) lane, if you will, where we don’t belong.’
Biden’s relief package also defrosted $40 million that Trump froze in 2016 and 2017. There will be $150 million for UNRWA. It has served “an estimated 5.7 million Palestinians across the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, Lebanon, Syria and Jordan.”
Biden will give the Palestinians:
‘[$75 million in economic development and $10 million in people-to-people projects, distributing funds already appropriated by Congress in 2020. This is on top of $15 million the administration earlier announced to help NGO’s (Non-governmental organizations) working with Palestinians respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.’
Blinken released a statement said providing such assistance:
‘[s]erves important U.S. interests and values” and is part of efforts by the administration to advance a two-state solution for Israelis and Palestinians. It provides critical relief to those in great need, fosters economic development, and supports Israeli-Palestinian understanding, security coordination and stability.’
Campbell welcomed the move:
‘The funding will absolutely greatly benefit these populations, our systems infrastructure, programs in each of these locations. It is absolutely a very positive and welcome announcement that will contribute toward UNRWA’s financial stability. We will still have challenges in meeting our budget requests for this year, but we see it as a really significant step toward doing that.’
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomed Trump’s move. He has accused UNRWA of “perpetuating Palestinian claims to refugee status and say its education materials contribute to incitement against Israel.”
Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner’s family has been longtime friends with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Featured image is a screenshot via YouTube.
The Mueller Report Adventures: In Bite-Sizes on this Facebook page. These quick, two-minute reads interpret the report in normal English for busy people. Mueller Bite-Sizes uncovers what is essentially a compelling spy mystery. Interestingly enough, Mueller Bite-Sizes can be read in any order.
