President Barack Obama and then-Secretary of State John Kerry just couldn’t resist taking one final, sneak parting shot at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The administration sent the Palestinian Authority $221 million in funding that members of Congress had blocked over the PA’s rogue diplomatic moves.
But it’s the way they did it that makes the move so petty.
The funding was released in the very last moments of Obama’s presidency, as Donald Trump prepared to take the oath of office. Congress got official, written notification that morning, and word didn’t leak out until this week.
Now, Obama and Kerry could have made a case for releasing the money: It’s meant to be primarily humanitarian aid, and Congress approved it in 2015 and 2016.
But Reps. Ed Royce (R-Calif.) and Kay Granger (R-Texas) put a hold on the cash after the PA broke its word by moving to get global organizations to endorse its claims to statehood. Such holds are nearly always honored, but this one wasn’t legally binding, since the funds had already been allocated.
And Team Obama didn’t make the case, nor even announce the move openly.
Instead, they chose to move surreptitiously, saving official notification for a time when members of Congress would be preoccupied with the inauguration.
No, the funding hardly endangers Israel, though we have doubts how much of this “humanitarian” aid will actually go for humanitarian purposes.
But the real intention here was less to aid the Palestinians and more to stick it to Netanyahu. What a tawdry final move.
Original article here.
