Suspension of U.S. Financial Aid to Palestinians Amid Israeli Security Crisis

As the security crisis in Israel continues, the U.S. House of Representatives has suspended a $370 million financial aid package to the Palestinian Authority. According to the Israeli website Ynet, the House has requested the U.S. State Department to report to Congress on 'inciting remarks against Israel' by Palestinian leadership and Mahmoud Abbas's refusal to renew peace talks with Israel. Although Republicans hold the majority in the House, Democratic members have also supported the suspension of aid to the Palestinian government. Kay Granger, the Republican chair of the foreign budget allocation, and Nita Lowey from the Democrats wrote in a joint letter to Mahmoud Abbas that 'terror and the continued rhetoric of Palestinian leaders' will keep financial aid suspended. The authors of the letter urged Abbas to positively respond to Israeli Prime Minister's willingness to meet and stated that if there is 'neglect of direct negotiations with Israel and the adoption of security and peace measures for both Israeli and Palestinian sides,' the House cannot support continued aid to the Palestinian government. The U.S. State Department had requested congressional approval for the annual aid to Palestinians. For the past 22 years, following the signing of the Oslo peace agreement, the U.S. government has provided $450 million in annual grants to the Palestinian Authority. However, this year, the State Department recommended reducing the aid by $80 million due to certain actions of the Palestinian Authority concerning Israel, limiting financial assistance to $370 million. The House's action coincides with Benjamin Netanyahu's request, the Israeli Prime Minister, who recently stated in his country and during a trip to Germany that the U.S. and the international community should pressure Mahmoud Abbas to 'end provocations and lies.' Meanwhile, Ban Ki-moon, the UN Secretary-General, on Friday, November 1, again called on Israeli and Palestinian leaders to cease inciting rhetoric against each other. Ban, who recently visited Israel and the Palestinian territories, expressed his pessimism about the future of current events. Concurrently, John Kerry, the U.S. Secretary of State, who traveled to Saudi Arabia on Saturday, November 2, is set to meet with the King of Jordan and Mahmoud Abbas in Jordan. The Jerusalem Post reported on Saturday that King Abdullah II of Jordan is also trying to encourage Abbas to work towards stopping attacks by young Palestinians against Israeli civilians and soldiers. The security crisis in Israel has entered its twenty-fourth day, with a Palestinian being killed on Saturday after attempting to stab a Jewish guard. A Jewish individual also reported to the police in Jerusalem about being attacked with a knife by a Palestinian. Meanwhile, the presence of security forces in Jerusalem is significant. Friday, November 1, passed with relative but shaky calm in Israel and the Palestinian territories, marking the first day in the recent crisis without casualties on either side. However, a Radio Farda correspondent in Israel reports that life, especially in Jerusalem, is marked by severe anxiety among Jews; despite pleasant weather at 33 degrees, the streets are empty, and many Jews only leave their homes for essential tasks. Cafes, restaurants, and recreational areas in Jerusalem, if open, are without customers. So far, ten people have been killed on the Israeli side, while the number of Palestinian casualties has exceeded 50, two-thirds of whom were attackers against Israelis. In this context, two were killed and 11 injured in clashes in southern Israel.