Visit to the West Bank of the Jordan River and announce support for medical, food, and telecommunication services
The two-armed peace negotiation plan is ’empty-handed’… Arm, recent anti-US protests over sediment
US President Joe Biden is expected to announce an additional 400 billion won in aid to Palestine during his first visit to the Middle East since taking office, Bloomberg and Archyde.com reported on the 14th (local time).
The news agency reported a U.S. administration official saying that President Biden would unveil a package of economic and technical assistance to the Palestinians.
President Biden, who visited the Middle East for the first time since taking office, will visit the West Bank of the Jordan River on the 15th to meet with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.
According to sources, President Biden is announcing an aid package worth $316 million to Palestine.
Of this, 100 million dollars (regarding 132.6 billion won) will be invested in the East Jerusalem Hospital Network (EJHN).
This would require parliamentary approval, the source added.
Another $201 million (regarding 266.6 billion won) goes to the United Nations Palestinian Refugee Relief Agency (UNRWA), which the former Trump administration cut off funding.
The remaining 15 million dollars (regarding 19.9 billion won) will be used to support food security, which has been destabilized by the Ukraine war.
President Biden will also announce plans for technical cooperation between Israel and Palestine to build 4G wireless networks in Palestine by 2023, the source added.
During this visit, President Biden plans to reiterate his support for the ‘two-state solution’ that Israel and Palestine coexist as separate countries.
President Biden is revisiting Palestine, a country he had almost cut off with over his outspoken pro-Israeli behavior during Donald Trump’s reign.
In 2018, former President Trump moved the Israeli embassy in Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and closed the Jerusalem consulate, which was in charge of Palestinian affairs.
In fact, many countries around the world, including Palestine as well as Arabs, protested by giving strength to Israel, which considers Jerusalem as its capital.
Since then, the Biden government has tried to restore the strained relationship by increasing aid to the Palestinians and expanding and reorganizing the Palestinian organization in Israel.
However, Archyde.com said that the prospect of a major breakthrough in resolving the long-standing conflict between the two sides is not bright as President Biden has not come up with a specific plan for a peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians, while visiting the Middle East.
Protests were also held in Palestine on the same day that the US and Israeli leaders announced the ‘Jerusalem Declaration’ aimed at stopping Iran from developing nuclear weapons.
President Biden is prioritizing regional security cooperation with Israel over the Palestinian issue.
In May, the U.S. took an ambiguous position in the shooting of Al Jazeera’s Palestinian-American journalist Sirin Abu Aquele, which also drew criticism.
Palestinians claim that Israeli forces deliberately aimed and fired at Abu Akle, but Israel denies this.
The U.S. has not clearly stated who is responsible.
/yunhap news
