Trump threatens to withhold Palestinian aid until they return to peace talks
search

The latest Jewish News

Read this week’s digital edition

Click Here

Trump threatens to withhold Palestinian aid until they return to peace talks

American president pressures for a return to negotiations as he sat down with Israeli pm Benjamin Netanyahu on the sidelines of an economic summit in Switzerland.

President Trump sits down with Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu in Davos, at the World Economic Forum
President Trump sits down with Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu in Davos, at the World Economic Forum

President Donald Trump has threatened to withhold aid money from the Palestinians until they return to peace talks with Israel as he sat down with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the sidelines of an economic summit in Switzerland.

Mr Trump’s decision last year to recognise Jerusalem as Israel’s capital angered Arab nations and led the Palestinians to refuse to meet with Vice President Mike Pence during his visit to the Mideast this week. They also declared a new US-led peace push dead, saying Washington can no longer be trusted as an honest broker.

Mr Trump said that decision has consequences. The US, he said, gives “hundreds of millions of dollars” to the Palestinians, and “that money is on the table and that money’s not going to them unless they sit down and negotiate peace”.

A Palestinian official called Mr Trump’s “language of dictation unacceptable.” Nabil Abu Rdeneh, a spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, said the Palestinians are “ready to engage in negotiations” and committed to a peace process “based on a Palestinian state with east Jerusalem as capital”.

Mr Trump’s comment came shortly after he arrived at the World Economic Forum, which brings together world leaders, business executives and celebrities.

His appearance is aimed at luring foreign investment to the U.S. and highlighting his America First economic agenda, despite its seeming odds with a gathering that celebrates global cooperation and free trade.

It was not immediately clear what money Mr Trump was referring to in his threat. Washington has contributed over five billion US dollars in economic and security aid to the Palestinians since the mid-1990s.

Annual economic aid since 2008 has averaged around 400 million US dollars, much of it devoted to development projects.

Last week, the Trump administration moved to withhold some, but not all, of a scheduled aid payment to the United Nations agency that assists Palestinian refugees.

The Trump administration said it would provide 60 million US dollars, while keeping 65 million US dollars until the UN body undertakes a “fundamental re-examination”.

Israel has been overjoyed by Mr Trump’s pivot on Jerusalem, which Mr Netanyahu hailed Thursday as an “historic decision that will be forever etched in the hearts of our people”.

During his visit to Israel this week, Mr Pence told Israeli politicians that the U.S. was fast-tracking the embassy plans, aiming to move it from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem by the end of 2019.

Mr Trump said he anticipates having “a small version” of the embassy open sometime next year.

In his remarks, Mr Trump referenced Pence’s trip to the Middle East, which did not include a meeting with Palestinian leaders.

Mr Trump said, “they disrespected us a week ago by not allowing our great vice president to see them”, adding: “Respect has to be shown to the US or we’re just not going any further.”

Support your Jewish community. Support your Jewish News

Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.

For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.

Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.

You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.

100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...

Engaging

Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.

Celebrating

There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.

Pioneering

In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.

Campaigning

Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.

Easy access

In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.

Voice of our community to wider society

The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.

We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.

read more: