Biden Plans Rehaul of US-Palestinian Relations: Report

The Emirati National newspaper on Thursday published excerpts of a State Department memo outlining US President Joe Biden’s new policies regarding the Palestinians issue. According to the draft, Washington is planning to announce, as early as the end of this month, a $15 million aid infusion meant to assist the Palestinian Authority in its fight against coronavirus. According to the State Department paper, President Biden is also willing to strike a firmer stance against Israeli settlement expansion in the disputed West Bank territories, captured by Israel in the 1967 war. On the other hand, the White House intends to obtain a guarantee from Ramallah that it stop paying salaries to Palestinians arrested in Israel for terrorist activities. The new administration has vowed to realign US-Palestinian relations and has said it will renew hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of humanitarian and economic aid to the struggling PA. The US also plans to reopen the Palestine Liberation Organization’s mission in Washington, which serves as the de facto embassy for the Palestinian Authority. It was ordered closed by former President Donald Trump.