Republican congresswoman launches bid to STOP U.S. sending millions of dollars for Palestinian refugees

 

California GOP Rep. Michelle Steel is introducing a new bill to cut off all U.S. aid for the Palestinian territory until the Palestinian Authority renounces Hamas and recognizes Israel. 

The U.S. currently funnels hundreds of millions in humanitarian aid for Palestinian people. The Biden-era policy is a departure from former President Trump who axed Palestinian aid. 

'This is commonsense. Not a single American taxpayer dollar should be sent to the corrupt, murderous Palestinian Authority until we have full confidence that it will never allow an evil like this to happen again,' Steel said in a statement. 

In exchange for aid, the Palestinian Authority would have to recognize Israel's right to exist as a sovereign Jewish state, remove and bar Hamas from any government position and condemn terrorism. 

Between April 2021 and March 2022 the U.S. provided $417 million for Palestinian refugees through the United Nations, $75 million in economic aid through USAID and $20.5 million in Covid and Gaza recovery assistance. 

For 2022 the U.S. planned to offer $45 million to support the 'rule of law' in Gaza. 

Meanwhile a federal judge allowed the discovery period to begin on a lawsuit that alleges President Biden is sending taxpayer funds to Palestinian territory in violation of a law that prohibits funding terrorist organizations. 

The ruling comes during the outbreak of war after Hamas launched a series of surprise attacks on Israel that have left 1,300 dead. Israel's counter-attacks have killed some 1,500 - and the Israeli government has now ordered 1.1 million locals to evaquate northern Gaza as the conflict drags on.

The U.S. and Qatar have agreed to freeze $6 billion in Iranian assets - a reversal of earlier plans to unfreeze the money as part of a prisoner swap. 

Iran has denied any involvement in the attack, but the sophisticated tactics used by Hamas suggest otherwise. The Wall Street Journal reported Sunday that Iranian security officials helped Hamas plan the attack. 

News of the planned change came hours after Joe Biden issued his first public warning to Iran since the Hamas attack on Israel.

'We've 'made it clear to the Iranians: Be careful,' Biden said at a meeting with Jewish leaders at the White House on Wednesday.

Speaking in Tel Aviv, on a visit to Israel, Secretary of State Antony Blinken defended the original prisoner swap arrangement that had seen the Iranian funds transferred from South Korea to Qatar.

He added: 'None of the funds that have now gone to Qatar have actually been spent or accessed by Iran in any way.'