Republican presidential candidates have largely condemned President Biden’s pledge to give $100 million to the Palestinians amid the war between Israel and Hamas, arguing that the money will likely fall into the hands of terrorists.
The president promised to fund the Palestinian territories – including the roughly 2 million residents in Gaza – in a speech in Israel on Wednesday.
The Gaza Strip is a land mass surrounded by Israel and Egypt and is controlled by the Hamas terrorist group, which launched a deadly attack on the Jewish state on October 7, killing at least 1,300 Israelis and 31 Americans.
Biden’s $100 million would go to the West Bank and Gaza, the president said, and is intended to “support more than 1 million Palestinians displaced and affected by the conflict, including emergency needs in Gaza.”
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former President Donald Trump, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum said they vehemently oppose The United States finances the Gaza Strip due to the presence of Hamas. while conservative businessman Vivek Ramaswamy denounced Biden’s alleged request for an additional $100 billion for foreign wars and former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie called the funding a “low priority.”
Biden reportedly plans to request that Congress fund a $100 billion package for Israel and Ukraine.REUTERS
DeSantis was the first to issue a statement against Biden’s “gift,” noting that Hamas is holding Americans hostage and calling on other 2024 candidates to oppose it.
“No US tax dollars to the Gaza Strip. Hamas has American hostages and Biden wants to finance them? “I challenge all Republican candidates to step up and oppose Biden’s $100 million gift to Hamas.” DeSantis said in a video posted on X.
Trump also called Biden’s funding “inappropriate.”
“It is very inappropriate to do that now. She is in Israel and is giving money to the Palestinians. I think he is quite inappropriate,” the 45th president told reporters during his trial in New York.
DeSantis was the first candidate to denounce the $100 million in funding. AP Trump suspended UNRWA funding to the Palestinian territories when he was president, but Biden reversed the move.
Haley’s campaign highlighted her role in cutting aid to the Palestinians under the Trump administration when she was a U.N. ambassador and said she still opposes using taxpayer money for Gaza.
He fought to stop funding being funneled through the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), an organization within the international body that has harbored anti-Semitic personnel, but the program was reimbursed by President Biden.
“Nikki opposes taxpayer money for Gaza just as she did when she helped eliminate it at the UN. Money is too easily diverted to Hamas and is not a good use of tax money. “Arab countries should step forward if they want to help the Palestinians as much as they claim,” spokesman Ken Farnaso told The Post.
Haley was a UN ambassador when UNRWA funding was suspended under the Trump administration.REUTERS
Scott, the only candidate in the race who can enact legislation in Congress, said he will work to prevent taxpayer money from going to Hamas in the future.
“No, there should not be a single US dollar that risks ending up in the hands of Hamas. The terrorist organization brutally murdered innocent Israelis and dozens of Americans. “I will take action this week to ensure that no future taxpayer money goes into the hands of Hamas,” he told The Post.
Burgum reiterated his opposition to UNRWA funding and criticized the Biden administration for unfreezing $6 billion for Iran (the country that funds Hamas) in exchange for five American hostages.
“Joe Biden never finds out: he is funding both sides of this war with his $6 billion hostage payment and easing sanctions on oil exports imposed on Iran. “Unlike other international organizations, the UN does not recognize Hamas as a terrorist organization, so any money Biden gives to the UN will inevitably end up funding Hamas’ terrorist activities,” Burgum told The Post.
Ramaswamy called Republican outrage over the $100 million a “sideshow” and said the other candidates are “too scared” to talk about Biden’s alleged incoming request for a $100 billion congressional funding package. for Israel and Ukraine.
“This is a sideshow, when there is now discussion in Congress about a combined amount of $100 billion “The other Republican candidates are too scared to talk about the real elephant in the room: the disastrous ground invasion of Gaza that is now imminent and will advance neither Israel’s nor our interests,” Ramaswamy told The Post. .
Christie said funding for Gaza is a “low priority” and that the Biden administration should focus on sending money to Israel and Ukraine, among other goals.
“I think it’s a very, very low priority. Well, the bottom line is that we should focus on helping Israel militarily and financially, helping Ukraine, arming Taiwan to send a clear message to the Chinese, and securing our southern border better than what we are doing now. “All of those are priorities over any aid to Gaza,” the former New Jersey governor said Thursday.
Categories: Trending
Source: vtt.edu.vn