President Donald Trump talks on a call with the leaders of Sudan and Israel, as Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (l) White House senior adviser Jared Kushner, and National Security Adviser Robert O'Brien, look on in the Oval Office, Oct. 23, 2020. (AP/Alex Brandon)
Former Secretary of State chides White House for releasing funds to Palestinians.
By World Israel News staff
Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo blasted President Joe Biden’s handling of the recent Israel-Gaza violence.
In an interview with Yediot Aharonot due to be published in full, Pompeo said the Trump administration “would have immediately clarified our unconditional support for Israel.”
“President Biden certainly said the right words. But I think most people who watched understood that this was a completely different message. Because just when he uttered the words of support for Israel, he released money to the Palestinians,” Pompeo said.
“Just as he said it,,” Pompeo added, “He removed from the Houthis their definition as a terrorist organization. Just as he was delivering this speech, American representatives were sitting in Vienna talking – albeit indirectly – with the Iranians, about how many billions of dollars they were going to give precisely to those who fund Hamas.”
During the 11-day conflict, the Biden administration notified Congress it would provide $10 million to Palestinian groups in the West Bank and Gaza to support exchange and reconciliation projects with Israelis. The recipients of the aid were not named.
The State Department said at the time that the money was part of more than $100 million that the administration allocated to the Palestinians earlier this year, reversing a near total cutoff in support under former President Donald Trump.
In April, the Biden administration also announced it would restore $235 million in aid to United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), which oversees aid for Palestinian refugees. The Trump administration eliminated funding for UNRWA in 2018. Critics say the UNRWA perpetuates the Palestinian refugee problem and is an obstacle to peace.
Also in the Yediot interview, Pompeo said that the sale of advanced F-35 stealth fighter jets to the United Arab Emirates was “critical” to the success of the Abraham accord between Israel, the U.A.E. and Bahrain last year. Israel’s security establishment opposed the sale of the stealth jets to the U.A.E.
AP contributed to this report.
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