WASHINGTON (AFP) — The new chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee said Tuesday the United States would look to resume aid to the Palestinians as he voiced hope for reviving a multilateral approach to the world under President-elect Joe Biden.
In an interview with AFP, Representative Gregory Meeks also called for a fresh look at the Venezuelan crisis and vowed to use his role to press human rights concerns he said had been ignored under outgoing US President Donald Trump.
Meeks said he would look to expand humanitarian aid including to the Palestinians after the staunchly pro-Israel Trump cut off nearly all funding to them, including contributions to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees.
“I’m a firm believer in the two-state solution, providing both parties with self-determination, because that’s the only way I believe that we can ensure a Jewish state of Israel that is viable and a peaceful Palestinian state, where they end up becoming interdependent in trade and other mechanisms,” Meeks said.
“So we may need to restart the US assistance to Palestinian people, demonstrating that the United States is ready to lead again,” he said.
The Trump administration cut hundreds of millions of dollars in financial aid to the PA after relations between Ramallah and Washington soured over the White House’s December 6, 2017, recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. READ MORE
