The U.S. Senate has committed once again to give Israel $3.1 billion in crucial aid. Our attendees helped explain the importance of this aid to Members of Congress during Mission 2014. Here are some other notable inclusions in the appropriations bill: The Committee adopted an amendment co-sponsored by Senator Kirk that directs the State Department to reduce U.S. assistance to the Palestinian Authority equal to the amount that the Palestinians regularly pay out to families of imprisoned or dead terrorists, estimated to total at least $60 million annually. As part of the managers package, the Committee adopted Senator Kirks amendment that will require the State Department to report to Congress with an approximate number of people currently served by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) who actually lived in then-Palestine between 1946 and 1948 and were displaced by the 1948 Arab-Israeli war. This reporting requirement will increase transparency and accountability for American taxpayers who have provided more than $4 billion to UNRWA since 1950. This language was also included in the FY2013 and FY2014 appropriations bills. The manager’s package also included Senator Kirk’s amendment to secure at least $32 million in the next fiscal year for State Department efforts to promote democracy and human rights in Iran.
Posted on: Thu, 26 Jun 2014 19:55:27 +0000
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