The GOP presidential candidate has largely blasted President Biden’s pledge to give $100 million to Palestinians amid the Israel-Hamas war, arguing the money could end up in the hands of terrorists.
The president pledged to fund the Palestinian territories – including the roughly 2 million residents of Gaza – in a speech in Israel Wednesday.
The Gaza Strip is a strip of land surrounded by Israel and Egypt and controlled by the terrorist group Hamas, 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 will go to the West Bank and Gaza, the president said, and is intended to “support over 1 million displaced and affected Palestinians, including emergency needs in Gaza.”
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former President Donald Trump, former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum have all said they strongly oppose US funding the Gaza Strip because of the presence of Hamas, while conservative entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy criticized Biden’s request reported 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 ask Congress to fund a $100 billion package for Israel and Ukraine.REUTERS
DeSantis was the first to issue a statement against Biden’s “gift,” pointing out that Hamas is holding the American people hostage and calling on other 2024 candidates to come out in opposition.
“There is no US dollar tax to the Gaza Strip. Hamas is holding Americans hostage and Biden wants to fund them? I challenge every Republican running to step forward and oppose Biden’s $100 million donation to Hamas,” DeSantis said in a video posted on X.
Trump also called Biden’s funding “inappropriate.”
“It is very inappropriate to do so now. He is already in Israel and he gives money to the Palestinians. I think it’s a little inappropriate,” the 45th president told reporters during his hearing in NYC.
DeSantis is the first candidate to denounce the $100 million in funding.AP Trump stopped UNRWA funding to the Palestinian territories during his presidency, but Biden reversed it.AP
Haley’s campaign pointed to her role in cutting aid to the Palestinians under the Trump administration when she was UN ambassador and said she still opposes the use of taxpayer dollars for Gaza.
He fought to stop funding channeled through the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), an organization within the international body that had antisemitic staff, but the program was reinstated by President Biden.
“Nikki is against taxpayer dollars for Gaza just as she was when she helped eliminate it at the UN. That money is too easily diverted to Hamas and is not a good use of tax dollars. Arab countries should step up if they want to help the Palestinians as they claim,” spokesman Ken Farnaso told The Post.
Haley was UN ambassador when UNRWA funding was cut off under Trump.REUTERS
Scott – the only candidate in the race who could pass legislation in Congress – said he would work to prevent future taxpayer dollars from going to Hamas.
“No, there should not be one US dollar at risk of ending up in the hands of Hamas. The terrorist organization brutally killed innocent Israelis and dozens of Americans. I will take steps this week to ensure that no taxpayer money will end up in the hands of Hamas,” he told The Post.
Burgum reiterated his opposition to UNRWA funding and criticized the Biden administration for freezing $6 billion to Iran – the country that funds Hamas – in exchange for five American hostages.
“Joe Biden never learned — he funded both sides of this war with his $6 billion ransom payment and easing of oil export sanctions 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 definitely fund Hamas’ terrorist activities,” Burgum told The Post.
Ramaswamy called Republican outrage over the $100 million a “sideshow” and said other candidates were “too scared” to talk about Biden’s reported request for a $100 billion congressional funding package for Israel and Ukraine.
“This is a sideshow, when there is now talk in Congress about the combination of $100 billion for foreign wars we should not join. The other Republican candidates are too afraid to talk about the real elephant in the room: the devastating land invasion of Gaza that is now about to happen that will advance neither Israel’s interests nor ours,” Ramaswamy told The Post .
Christie said funding to Gaza is a “low priority,” and the Biden administration should focus on sending money to Israel and Ukraine, among other targets.
“I think it’s a very, very low priority. In conclusion, what we need to focus on is militarily and financially helping Israel militarily, helping Ukraine, arming Taiwan to send a clear message to the Chinese and securing our southern border better than what we are doing now. That’s all a priority over any aid to Gaza,” the former New Jersey governor said Thursday.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
