This threat would mean something if the “Palestinans” actually recognized Israel to begin with.
With the outrage growing against Barack Obama’s last minute transferring of $221m to the Palestinian Authority just five days before leaving office, Trump’s State Department announced Tuesday that it will review the last-minute decision which was done over the objections of congressional Republicans.
The purpose of the review is to look at the payment and make possible changes to ensure it complies with the priorities of the Trump administration.
Kerry formally notified Congress that State would release the money Friday morning, just hours before President Trump took the oath of office.
The Congress had initially given approval for the Palestinian funding in the 2015/2016 budget, but Ed Royce (R) of California, the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and Kay Granger (R) of Texas, who sits on the House Appropriations Committee — put a hold on the transfer as a response to moves the Palestinian Authority had taken to seek membership in international organizations. Although congressional holds are not legally binding they are generally respected by the executive branch.
Granger released a statement Tuesday saying, “I am deeply disappointed that President Obama defied congressional oversight and released $221 million to the Palestinian territories.”
She added: “I worked to make sure that no American taxpayer dollars would fund the Palestinian Authority unless very strict conditions were met. While none of these funds will go to the Palestinian Authority because of those conditions, they will go to programs in the Palestinian territories that were still under review by Congress. The Obama Administration’s decision to release these funds was inappropriate.”
Channel 2 in Israel is reporting that Trump is set to announce the US will move its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem on Monday. Supporting the report’s veracity, the White House confirmed that Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu and President Trump discussed the initial stages of the embassy move in their first telephone call at 1:30pm EST.
Menawhile, Palestianian President Mahmoud Abbas and the Jordanian King met in order to coordinate strategy to try thwart the planned move.
YNET is reporting that Dr. Hayel Dawood, Jordan’s Minister of Religious Endowments and Islamic Affairs, gave an interview to Palestinian media after the meeting. He said that Trump’s stated intention to relocate the embassy was “a dangerous development that requires an offensive position against it.” He added that the relocation “constitutes a death blow to Washington’s role as a fair mediator in negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians and disregard for international resolutions that consider Jerusalem occupied territory.”
Not Clear Who Can Stop Trump
With all of the noise coming out of Rammallah and Amman, they have little power or leverage to stop President Trump from moving the embassy. Both the PA and Jordan are artificially created entities that depend on outside help to keep stable. The other countries in the region either don’t care or have other issues that are for more pressing to deal with.
With 15 days to go until Donald Trump becomes the 45th President of the United States, Barack Obama seems bent on starting a war with Russia. In response to Putin moving nuclear armed missles into Kalingrad, Obama has moved US special forces up to the border between Lithuania and Russia.
Lithuanian Defence Ministry spokeswoman Asta Galdikaite confirmed America has offered additional military support following Russia’s annexation of Crimea.
She said: “The United States was the first to offer additional safety assurance measures to the Baltic countries following the deterioration of the security situation in the region after the annexation of the Crimea. US Special Operations Forces presence in Lithuania is one of the deterrents” against military threats by Putin’s aggressive regime.”
This move along side the expelling of 25 Russian diplomats will increase the tension between the two powers. With Trump coming into power very shortly, it is hard to find a reason why Obama has chosen now to increase the special forces presence in these countries.
The House of Representatives plans on a resolution this Thursday condemning what Republicans and many Democrats are calling a direct attack against Israel by President Obama when he refused to veto UN resolution 2334 just before the holidays.
Late on Monday, House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., and House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce, R-Calif., announced a floor vote would be set for Thursday on the resolution opposing the UN’s move.
“This administration has lost all credibility when it comes to Israel,” they said. “The administration’s stunt at the UN hurt our ally Israel and made peace in the region even more difficult to achieve. This Thursday, the House will not abstain from its responsibility and will vote on a bipartisan resolution reaffirming our longstanding policy in the region and support of Israel.”
This is considered to be the first of a volley of congressional push backs against Obama’s assault on Israel in the waning days of his presidency.
As reported yesterday, Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., plans to introduce a “sense of the Senate” which will issue a rebuke of the United Nations. Other senators like Lindsay Graham and Cruz are suggesting to defund the UN.
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