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Obama reportedly gave Palestinians £177m on morning of Trump inauguration
The outgoing administration told Congress the funds would be sent hours before president Donald Trump was sworn in
The Obama administration reportedly sent £177m ($221) million to the Palestinian Authority on the morning of Donald Trump’s inauguration.
The administration told Congress that it would send the funds hours before Trump was sworn in Friday, an anonymous State Department official and several congressional aides said, according to The Associated Press.
At least two unnamed Republican lawmakers had held up the money, AP reported, in an act that is not legally binding but is usually respected by the executive branch.
In total, the Obama administration sent over £181m ($227m) of foreign funding on Friday, including £3.2m ($4m) to climate change programs and £1m ($1.25m) to United Nations organisations, according to AP.
In 2016, the United States gave £445m ($557) million in assistance to the Palestinian Authority, according to USAID. Israel was the largest recipient of U.S. foreign aid last year, receiving £2.5b ($3.1b).
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