It is now being reported that in the last hours of Obama's presidency, as he was about to leave office, President Obama "quietly" released $221 million to the Palestinian Authority. Congress was notified just hours before President Trump took his oath of office.
It seems this money had already been slated to be sent to the PA, but GOP members of Congress had been blocking the transfer. In his final hours in office, Obama found a way to sneak the money out behind their backs.
sources: Times of Israel, Business Insider
The money itself does not really bother me so much. Obama, and the USA, gave Israel much more over the years. This is not "so much" money, and the USA has given money to the PA before.
However, the timing bothers me. Just like with the recent refusal to veto the vote against Israel in the United Nations Security Council - Obama did something at the last minute when he no longer had to feel obligated to anybody, the money transfer now is also a last minute act when he no longer had to answer to anybody. these last minute acts show where his heart really is. Obama must have really wanted to give the PA that money, rather than let the government go through its normal processes. He could have left it for the incoming President and Congress to deal with, and they might or might not have released the monies, but it would no longer be Obama's issue. His extraordinary efforts to get the PA this money indicates how important it is to him.
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