Republican lawmaker disappointed on Obama's US$291 million Palestinian funding

In spite of congressional holds from two Republican lawmakers, former US president Barack Obama was able to send about US$291 million (AU$385 million) to the Palestinian Authority before his term has officially ended. Texas representative Kay Granger, a Republican, has commented about the funding, saying she was deeply disappointed that Obama defied congressional oversight.

Obama administration officials have also confirmed that that government has released the amount to fund humanitarian aid in the West Bank and Gaza. It was also sent for other projects aimed at governance and political reform.

She maintained that the decision was inappropriate. Granger said she worked to ensure that no American taxpayer dollars will reach the Palestinian Authority unless very strict conditions were met.

Congress has given a nod to the Palestinian funding, but Grand Old Party lawmakers had placed holds on it. Although the holds are respected by the executive branch, they are not binding after money has been sent.

Ed Royce of California, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and Granger have put congressional holds over moves the Palestinian Authority had taken to seek membership in international organisations. Even Dr Jonathan Schanzer of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies does not agree with president Obama’s move.

Schanzer told Business Insider that the Palestinian Authority utilised the money to pay salaries and debts. Schanzer described Obama’s decision as a shock and “a strange message to send.”

Mahmoud Abbas, Schanzer said, is a corrupt leader of the Palestinian Authority. Abbas has started his 12th year as president this year although he was elected to a four-year term in 2005. Schanzer said the former leader of the free world has released funds to a “guy that’s become an autocrat.”

According to the Associated Press, the then-outgoing administration had been pushing the release of the money for some time. A notification the Congress has received stated that the funds were from the US Agency for International Development

The Palestine Authority is a self-government body combining the Gaza Strip and the West Bank under one political unit. It was created after an agreement between Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and Israel in 1994.