American officials informed leaders of the Arab-American community in Michigan that the U.S. administration plans to wait for the results of an internal investigation conducted by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) before deciding to resume its aid to the agency. Samantha Power, the head of the U.S. Agency for International Development, along with other senior officials, visited Michigan on Thursday amid widespread criticism in the state regarding Biden's policy towards Israel, his failure to call for a ceasefire in the Gaza attacks, and the continued provision of military support.
Lebanese-American attorney Ali Daghir stated that officials mentioned during the meeting that Washington remains committed to providing humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian people, but it will wait until the UNRWA investigation is completed. Daghir participated in one of four discussions with American officials in Dearborn, which has a significant Arab-American population near Detroit.
Former senior congressional staff member Abbas Alawi told Reuters that Power spoke extensively about UNRWA but indicated that Biden does not intend to reverse his decision to halt funding to the agency. UNRWA officials expect that the initial investigation by the UN’s oversight office will take several weeks.
