Qatar announced it would send $500 million to help rebuild Gaza. The United States also brings $360 million, marking a turn from Trump’s policy.
Qatar announced on May 26 that it would help Gaza with US $500 million in financial support. The announcement was made the day after the United States also pledged to help Gaza with US $360 million.
To put the amount into perspective, the United Kingdom committed to $4.5 million for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, earlier this week. The European Union will boost the humanitarian aid to Palestine by $9.8 million.
Approximately 1,000 buildings, along with road infrastructure, have been destroyed in the Gaza strip during the exchange of fire between the Palestine territory and Israel.
It is not the first time Qatar helps Gaza. After the 2014 Israel-Gaza conflict, the Emirate gave $1 billion to the territory in order to repair homes and roads. In 2019, Qatar also regularly gave $100 in cash to 100,000 Palestinian poor families.
Biden resumes Palestinian aid a month before the conflict
Via a press communiqué, Antony Blinken, the U.S. Secretary of State who is currently in the Middle East, said his country is providing $360 million, including $38 million of humanitarian aid. But he stressed the fact the aid couldn’t be received by Hamas, the group leading the territory. He is also working with the Congress to provide another $75 million for the economic development of Gaza, and $5.5 million on behalf of an emergency relief.
The U.S. usually provided aid to Palestine over the years, but the Trump administration suddenly stopped it. From $399 million in 2014, an all-time high, President Donald Trump switched to $0 of Palestinian aid in 2018. It was the first time the U.S. didn’t finance the region in 71 years. But in April 2021, few days before the conflict, President Biden agreed with the Palestine Liberation Organization, which include the Fatah but not Hamas, to resume aid.
In comparison, the U.S. gave $3.8 billion in aid to Israel in 2020. Israel is the country receiving the most aid from the U.S.
On May 27, Mr. Blinken and Qatar’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Al Thani discussed for the continuity of a ceasefire.
Media sources and useful links:
- 3 Charts That Illustrate Where U.S. Foreign Aid Goes, U.S. News, May 2021, Free access
- Biden Reversed Trump’s Foreign Aid Freeze To Expand Palestinian Funding—$6.3 Billion Since 1953, Forbes, May 2021, Free access
