A Palestinian-American meeting was held on Thursday, a day after Washington resumed its financial aid to the Palestinians after it was suspended three years ago.
A member of the PLO Executive Committee, Ahmed Abu Holly, announced his meeting via the Internet with Richard Albright, Assistant Secretary of State for Housing, Refugees and Immigration Affairs.
Abu Huli said in a press statement, that the return of US support to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) "will enable the Agency to play its humanitarian and vital role in serving the Palestinian refugees until their case is resolved in a just and comprehensive manner in accordance with Resolution 194."
He considered that the funding of the agency’s budget of $ 150 million was a “corrective step for the decisions and policies of the previous US administration,” noting that the US support would contribute to “enhancing development and stability in the region.”
Abu Huli indicated that the Palestinian side requested in the meeting the return of financial support to UNRWA to what it was in before the term of former President Donald Trump, which is estimated at $ 365 million annually.
He also called on the US administration to discuss countries that have stopped or reduced their support and aid to the IAEA, to restore aid to what it was before the Trump administration, and to reintegrate with UNRWA and donors.
For his part, Albright said, according to the statement, that the US administration is fully convinced of the pivotal role that UNRWA plays in the service of Palestinian refugees, which contributes to promoting human development and preserving the stability of the region.
"We have identical views on UNRWA services and its role in providing health, education and relief services, and we are very interested in supporting the continuity of the agency and we see the challenges it faces in terms of financial funding," he said.
He affirmed his country´s commitment to working with donor countries to increase donations to the agency, pointing out that the US State Department will ask its diplomatic missions in the countries in which they are present to urge their governments to support UNRWA.
Albright announced that the US administration will participate in the international donors conference scheduled to be held next June, indicating that his administration has begun working with Jordan and Sweden to prepare with other donors for the success of the conference.
On Wednesday, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken announced the resumption of US economic, development and humanitarian aid to the Palestinian people.
He added that an amount of $ 150 million in aid will also be provided to UNRWA, and that vital security assistance programs will be resumed, provided that all aid is provided in accordance with US law.
The Palestinian Authority boycotted the previous US administration at the end of 2017, after Trump announced his recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and rejected Washington´s plan to solve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
In return, the previous US administration froze material aid to the Palestinian Authority and UNRWA, and closed the representative office of the Palestine Liberation Organization in Washington and the US consulate in Jerusalem.
