The $221 million released by Obama, and subsequently halted by Trump, is part of the US's regularly scheduled aid to Palestine, which totaled $557 million from all US government agencies in 2015.
The US, and even Israel, provides funds to the Palestinian Authority because the government's stability contributes to Israel's security, Michael Koplow, a Middle East analyst at the Israel Policy Forum, told Business Insider.
The relative stability of the West Bank, which has not become "a haven for terrorism and a launching ground for rocket attacks," unlike Gaza, can be credited to the cooperation of the Israeli Defense Forces and the Palestinian Authority security forces, according to Koplow...
According to Koplow, though the Israelis and their supporters in the US may condemn the Palestinian Authority and their actions, they continually fund and prop up the organization for a lack of a better alternative.
"Should the PA collapse, the scenarios range from the Israeli military having to reenter the entirety of the West Bank to a complete Hamas takeover. Both the US and Israel are willing to put up with and fund Palestinian Authority corruption, ineffective government, and incitement in order to ensure the security cooperation that safeguards Israeli security," said Koplow.
However, a few GOP lawmakers decided to draw the line on the $221 million Obama intended to send to the PA.
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