The Palestinian American community and US organizations today called for the immediate restoration of US aid to Palestinians.
In an official letter addressed to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, the Palestinian American community and concerned American organizations called on Blinken to immediately restore all economic and humanitarian aid to Palestinians.
“We call on the newly elected Biden Administration to immediately intervene in the current Covid-19 pandemic crisis facing the Palestinian people in the occupied West Bank and Gaza, and to also immediately restore all economic and humanitarian aid to U.N. Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) for Palestine refugees needed to fund critical food assistance, schools, healthcare, and social services,” the letter read.
After reminding of their “crucial role” in electing the US President Joe Biden and of Biden’s promise to put fundamental human rights “at the center of U.S. engagement with the world” and “restore America’s role and voice as a human rights champion on a global scale”, they asked Biden to help alleviate the suffering of the Palestinian people.
“We feel compelled to ask that the Biden Administration act swiftly to alleviate the suffering of the Palestinian people facing a pandemic and total economic collapse.”
“We call upon the Biden Administration to fulfill its campaign promises and take immediate steps to restore urgently needed economic and humanitarian aid to the Palestinian people in the form of assistance to refugees through UNRWA, and work to address the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza,” they added.
The Palestinian American community and the concerned organizations pointed to the fact that Israel, as an occupying force, has been dodging its “moral and legal obligation to ensure that Palestinians have access to a quality Covid-19 vaccine”, as they called upon the US administration to spare no effort to pressure Israel into fulfilling its obligations.
“As American citizens, we call upon your Administration to do everything in its power to pressure Israel to fulfill its moral and humanitarian obligations and make vaccine supplies accessible to the entire Palestinian population living under Israeli occupation,” the letter read.
As part of the restoration of aid, the signatories called on the US administration to “reverse the Trump Administration’s policies by prioritizing the restoration of humanitarian aid, including the $25 million in financial assistance to six East Jerusalem hospitals that provide invaluable medical care for patients from the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem.”
“Sadly, the economic and humanitarian crises in the occupied Palestinian territories of the West Bank and Gaza can no longer be ignored. We look forward to an immediate briefing on a plan of action to ensure that the situation in the West Bank and Gaza is remedied as highlighted above,” they concluded.
