During President Joe Biden’s first official visit to the Middle East, he reversed multiple Trump-era policies.
Fox News reports:
President Biden reaffirmed his commitment to a two-state solution for Israelis and Palestinians and announced plans to bolster U.S. financial aid to the Palestinian people, reversing multiple policies implemented by former President Trump.
After spending time with Israeli leaders in Jerusalem, Biden met with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and other top Palestinian officials before visiting the Church of the Nativity, the place Christians cite as the birthplace of Jesus.
During his comments, the president touched upon his administration’s plans to implement a series of economic and confidence building measures aimed at improving daily life for Palestinian people living in the West Bank and Gaza, but he stopped short of condemning Palestinian terrorism that has hampered peace efforts in the past and sparked countless rounds of violence with Israel.
The president also said the U.S. would increase financial contributions to the controversial U.N. agency, UNRWA, that supports and advocates for Palestinian refugees, adding $200 million to its budget to become the largest donor country.
During his visit Biden also said the U.S. “won’t give up on trying to bring Israel and Palestine closer together,” he added.
He said there “must be an end to the violence” that has devastated “too many families.”