When they complain of donor fatigue, it’s more of a ruse to put Israel to sleep
We know a sizable chunk was diverted to reward terrorists and their families for murder and mayhem committed against Israelis and US citizens. Some $5 billion — about a quarter of the total — came from US taxpayers. Former president Trump turned off the spigot, and Congress passed the Taylor Force Act in 2018 to punish the PA for its misbehavior. European and Arab nations even complained of “donor fatigue” and questioned whether giving further aid was merely throwing good money after bad.
These questions should have been high on the agenda at Tuesday’s meeting of the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee (AHLC) for Palestine — the formal designation for donor nations that include the US and Israel. They should also be topics of discussion inside a Biden administration considering a restoration of US aid to the PA.
The Biden administration shows some signs of sobering up from America’s spending spree on the PA. Secretary of State Antony Blinken dispatched a lower-level diplomat, Hady Amr, to represent the US at Tuesday’s conference. Amr is deputy assistant secretary for Israeli-Palestinian affairs.
Born in Beirut the same year Israel captured Jerusalem and the West Bank in the Six Day War, Amr inhabits the State Department’s Arabist camp, but Axios quoted Israeli officials describing Amr as “pragmatic,” “humane,” and a knowledgeable professional who would rather get things done than engage in political arguments.
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