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Britain has cut its funding of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees by just over 50% last week, according to a report in the UK daily The Guardian. Having invested some $57 million in UNRWA in 2020, this amounted to a contribution of $28 million in 2021.

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UNRWA Commissioner Philippe Lazzarini tied the move to criticism of the Palestinian Authority curriculum used by UNRA. "The organization is sometimes subjected to vicious political attack, usually through the lens of the curriculum," he said.

According to Lazzarini, the UK was the third-largest UNRWA donor in 2020.

He said UNRWA had started off 2021 with "critical vulnerabilities."

The move follows the UK's decision to end all funding of the Palestinian Authority's coffers last month.

The issue of UNRWA's curriculum was brought to the public agenda in January 2021 when the agency's head was forced to confirm the findings of a report by IMPACT-se in which the research and policy institute found learning materials with UNRWA branding were replete with hatred, antisemitism, incitement to jihad and violence and failed to include any promotion of peace and tolerance in complete violation of UN values.

Lazzarini admitted UNRWA had printed and taught "inappropriate" material that was "mistakenly" included in the curriculum in use during the pandemic.

In June, former Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the UK's Foreign Office James Duddridge confirmed UNRWA's curriculum continued to contain anti-Israel, antisemitic material, a situation he said was not acceptable to the parliament or the government.

Speaking before a congressional committee last June, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the US was "determined that UNRWA pursue very necessary reforms in terms of some of the abuses of the system that have taken place in the past, particularly the challenge that we've seen in disseminating in its educational products antisemitic or anti-Israel information.

In April, the European Parliament became the first legislative body in the world to adopt a resolution formally condemning and demanding the "immediate removal" of content that incites to hatred in violence in UNRWA's curriculum." Canada and Australia also opened official investigations into UNRWA over the hatred and antisemitism espoused in the organization's textbooks this year.

According to IMPACT-se CEO Marcus Sheff, "Policymakers in the US and Europe are standing in line to condemn the hatred in Palestinian Authority textbooks used by UNRWA. The head of the organization Philippe Lazzarini stood before the European Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee in September and admitted antisemitism, intolerance, and the glorification of terrorism are part of the Palestinian Authority textbooks taught in UNRWA's schools.

"Of course, the obvious remedy would be to remove the hatred and create a curriculum of peace and tolerance instead of inciting and blaming others.  But it is unreasonable for change to happen when responsibility for this remains in UNRWA's hands. The agency's teachers themselves create content that is just as radical as that of the Palestinian Authority," he said.

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Ahead of his meeting with US President Joe Biden Thursday, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett met separately Wednesday with US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on what was his first state visit overseas since taking office.

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Following Bennett's meeting with the defense secretary, the US Defense Department issued a statement saying Austin reaffirmed "the US commitment to the strategic partnership and addressing regional security challenges together."

The statement further noted that Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks met with Defense Ministry Director Amir Eshel, and Under Secretary of Defense Colin Kahl "hosted Eshel and a delegation of senior Israeli officials for the annual Defense Policy Advisory Group."

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett met today with @SecDef Lloyd Austin.

PM Bennett and Secretary of Defense Austin discussed a series of regional, diplomatic and security issues, especially the ways to block Iran's regional aggression and the progress of its nuclear program. pic.twitter.com/LrKIcpfzLH

— PM of Israel (@IsraeliPM) August 25, 2021

According to the US Defense Department, "The leaders discussed the wide range of threats posed by Iran's nuclear program, support of terrorism, and maritime aggression. They agreed to cooperate on air and missile defense and countering unmanned aerial systems.

"Secretary Austin affirmed the United States' commitment to Israel's security and qualitative military edge.  The Secretary stressed the United States' commitment to broader stability in the Middle East region, including through its military relationships with longstanding partners.  Deputy Secretary Hicks and Under Secretary Kahl conveyed US views on strategic competition and highlighted the Administration's support for replenishing Israel's Iron Dome Missile Defense System.

"We are working closely with Congress to provide all the necessary information to respond positively to your request to provide 1 billion dollars in emergency funding. And it's going to save more innocent lives," Austin said.

WATCH: Prime Minister Naftali Bennet's remarks at the start of his meeting today with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

Full Remarks >>https://t.co/IiB9gePhYy pic.twitter.com/aSr8PucJYS

— PM of Israel (@IsraeliPM) August 25, 2021

At the start of his meeting with Blinken, Bennett said he planned to speak with Biden and administration officials primarily about "how do we fend off and curtail Iran's ... race to a nuclear weapon."

"I bring from Israel a new spirit, a spirit of folks who sometimes harbor different opinions but can work together in cooperation and goodwill, in a spirit of unity. And we work hard to find common things we do agree upon and move forward on, and it seems to be working," he said.

"Israel has no stronger and more reliable ally than the United States of America," he said, lauding the two countries' bilateral ties.

As for the Abraham Accords, signed between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, Morocco, and Sudan under former US President Donald Trump, Blinken said the US hoped to help nurture those relationships

In a statement, the US State Department said the two "emphasized the importance of the US-Israel partnership and discussed regional security issues, including Iran.

"The secretary and the prime minister underscored our strong bilateral relationship, and the secretary reiterated the US commitment to Israel's security. The Secretary also emphasized that Israelis and Palestinians alike deserve equal measures of freedom, prosperity, and dignity, which is important in its own right and as a means to advance prospects for a two-state solution. Secretary Blinken and Prime Minister Bennett agreed on the importance of working toward Israel's inclusion in the Visa Waiver Program in order to benefit both US citizens and Israeli citizens."

Following his meeting with Blinken, Bennett met with US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan.

The US and Israel were also expected to discuss the coronavirus pandemic, climate change, and economic matters.

Following their meeting, Blinken tweeted: "Today I met with Israel's Prime Minister Naftali Bennett. We discussed the importance of the U.S.-Israel partnership, including America's commitment to Israel's security. I look forward to continuing our friendship and working with the Prime Minister and his government."

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During his recent visit to the region in late May, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas that America would reopen its Jerusalem consulate to the Palestinians and provide $360 million in support.

Eugene Kontorovich, a scholar at the Kohelet Forum think tank and professor at George Mason University, told JNS that "the recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital by the United States – and then by other nations as well –  is one of Israel's major diplomatic accomplishments of recent decades. The opening of a consulate to the PA in Jerusalem is an attempt by the Biden administration to implicitly revoke that recognition," he argued.

While Washington is involved with many pro-Palestinian policies, like restoring aid to the PA, "Israel cannot do much about," he said Israel "can and must prevent the opening of a consulate in Jerusalem."

The only way that Israel should acquiesce, he said, is if America does it in a way that acknowledges Israel's sovereignty.

The US consulate in Jerusalem, which handled affairs between America and Palestinians, was merged with the US Embassy when it relocated to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv in May 2018. The Palestinian Affairs Unit now operates from within the embassy.

According to Palestinian Media Watch, Fatah Central Committee member Hussein Al-Sheikh said the Palestinians have understood the US move as an endorsement of the viewpoint that eastern Jerusalem is "occupied" by Israel.

The reopening of the consulate in eastern Jerusalem is "deemed the most important decision taken by the new US administration" and "sends a clear message that [it] is part of the territories that Israel has [controlled] since 1967," said Sheikh according to the PA's Wafa news agency Wafa.

Maurice Hirsch, director of legal strategies at Palestinian Media Watch, told JNS the approach of the Biden administration should be to adopt policies that promote both peace and US interests.

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"The last 25 years have proven that certain policies, such as ever-growing aid and the existence of a separate US consulate for the Palestinians, do not achieve these goals," he said.

As Khaled Abu Toameh, a Palestinian analyst at the Gatestone Institute, pointed out: "If you are rewarding the Palestinian Authority without demanding anything in return, you will have no leverage with the Palestinian Authority anymore."

He also assessed that Palestinian incitement and delegitimization of Israel was continuing to influence the Palestinian people, making an agreement with Israel unlikely.

Instead, he said the Biden administration could have told the PA: "Listen. We will resume financial aid to the Palestinians, but before we do that, on Palestine TV, can you please stop calling for jihad?"

Analysts say that if Israel does not set red lines for the Biden administration's increasing cooperation with the PA, it would risk losing sovereignty in Jerusalem and the ability to force the Palestinians to stop inciting violence and paying stipends to the families of terrorists.

Indeed, Mahmoud Abbas on Sunday ordered the family of Palestinian terrorist Muhannad Halabi, who murdered two Israelis in a stabbing attack in Jerusalem in 2015, to receive more than $40,000 in cash and new housing.

The high-profile payment was the first since the Biden administration took office, despite some signals from the Palestinians that they might drop or alter payments to terrorists to gain favor with the United States.

As such, it remains unclear how the administration will continue to work to boost the PA while also complying with the 2018 Taylor Force Act, which suspended US aid to the PA as long as it continues terror payments.

According to Hirsch, pressure from Washington on Israel signals its lack of support for the Jewish state and encourages continued bad behavior from the Palestinians.

"The Palestinians will rightly view the renewal of aid and the reopening of the consulate as a prize for the continued rejection of peace," he said.

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US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday announced plans to reopen a key diplomatic outreach office to the Palestinians and pledged nearly $40 million in new aid – reversing key policies of the Trump administration as he moved to bolster the embattled Palestinian government in the West Bank.

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On his first official visit to the region, Blinken met with Israeli and Palestinian leaders with the immediate aim of shoring up last week's ceasefire that ended 11 days of fighting between Israel and Hamas terrorists in the Gaza Strip. He vowed to "rally international support" for the effort while also promising to ensure that none of the aid would reach Hamas.

Blinken repeatedly alluded to the underlying issues of the decades-old conflict and expressed empathy for both sides, but he showed little interest in launching another US push for lasting peace. Instead, he expressed hope for creating a "better environment" that might one day yield peace talks.

Despite these modest aims, Blinken made clear that US President Joe Biden would pursue a more even-handed approach to the region than former US President Donald Trump, who sided overwhelmingly with Israel in virtually every area of disagreement with the Palestinians.

"As I told the president, I'm here to underscore the commitment of the United States to rebuilding the relationship with the Palestinian Authority and the Palestinian people, a relationship built on mutual respect and also a shared conviction that Palestinians and Israelis alike deserve equal measures of security, freedom opportunity, and dignity," he said after a meeting with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank.

In an act with great symbolic meaning, Blinken said the US would reopen its Jerusalem consulate – an office that for years served as the de facto embassy to the Palestinians.

Trump had downgraded its operations and placed them under his ambassador to Israel when he moved the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to the holy city in 2018. The embassy move infuriated Palestinians, who claim east Jerusalem as their capital and led them to sever most ties with the Trump administration.

Blinken did not provide a firm date for the reopening but said that Michael Ratney, a senior US diplomat who has previously served as consul general in Jerusalem, would soon be returning to the region.

Blinken also announced some $38.5 million in additional aid for the Palestinians. In all, the Biden administration has pledged some $360 million to the Palestinians, after the Trump administration cut almost all aid. Tuesday's pledges included $5.5 million in emergency assistance for Gaza.

Blinken promised that any assistance will be kept out of the hands of Hamas, which opposes Israel's right to exist and which Israel and the US consider a terrorist group.

The US is trying to bolster Abbas, who has been sidelined by recent events, in his rivalry with Hamas and on the international stage.

Abbas heads the internationally backed Palestinian Authority, whose forces were driven from Gaza when Hamas seized power there in 2007 after defeating Fatah in elections there. He now administers only parts of the occupied West Bank. Though deeply unpopular at home, he is seen internationally as the representative of the Palestinian people and a key partner in the long-defunct peace process.

The ceasefire that ended the Gaza war on Friday has so far held, but it did not address any of the deeper issues plaguing the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, something Blinken acknowledged after meeting Tuesday with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

"We know that to prevent a return to violence, we have to use the space created to address a larger set of underlying issues and challenges, and that begins with tackling the grave humanitarian situation in Gaza and starting to rebuild," he said.

On Tuesday, the leader of the powerful Lebanese terrorist group Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, said Israeli actions at Al-Aqsa could provoke fighting across the Middle East. "Jerusalem means a regional war," said Nasrallah, whose group fought Israel in a monthlong war in 2006.

Meanwhile, Netanyahu is fighting for his political life after a fourth inconclusive election in two years. He faces mounting criticism from Israelis who say he ended the offensive prematurely, without halting rocket attacks or dealing a heavier blow to Hamas.

In his remarks after his meeting with Blinken, Netanyahu hardly mentioned the Palestinians, warning of a "very powerful" response if Hamas breaks the ceasefire.

Netanyahu spoke of "building economic growth" in the West Bank but said there will be no peace until the Palestinians recognize Israel as a "Jewish state." The Palestinians have long objected to that demand, saying it undermines the rights of Israel's own Palestinian minority.

Blinken repeatedly affirmed what he said was Israel's right to defend itself and said the US would assist Israel in replenishing its Iron Dome rocket-interception system.

Yet he also called on leaders of all sides to chart a "better course" in hopes of laying the groundwork for peace talks aimed at establishing an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel. The Biden administration, like most of the international community, believes the "two-state solution" is the only way to resolve the conflict.

He said that could start with a successful reconstruction effort in Gaza, which "has the potential to undermine" Hamas. He also urged all sides to refrain from moves that could escalate tensions or reignite violence. He cited the planned evictions in Sheikh Jarrah, Israeli settlement construction, and Palestinian incitement.

Blinken heads to neighboring Egypt and Jordan, which have acted as mediators in the conflict, Wednesday. Egypt succeeded in brokering the Gaza truce after the Biden administration pressed Israel to wind down its offensive.

Biden, meanwhile, is expected to name former senior US State Department official Tom Nides to serve as ambassador to Israel, according to a person familiar with the matter.

Nides is currently the managing director and vice-chairman of the multinational investment bank Morgan Stanley. He previously served as deputy secretary of state for management and resources under Hillary Clinton from 2011 to 2013. The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the yet-to-be-announced pick, said Nides has already been formally offered the position.

The president is expected to soon announce the pick, though exact timing remains unclear, according to a second person familiar with the deliberations. The official, who was not authorized to comment publicly, added that Biden had made his choice for the Israel ambassadorship and vetting was underway.

The White House declined to comment on Nides' forthcoming nomination.

Robert Wexler, a former Democratic congressman from Florida, was also receiving serious consideration for the high-profile post, officials said.

Getting an ambassador in place in Israel has become a high priority for the administration following this month's 11-day war between Israel and Hamas, the most significant clashes between Israel and the terrorist group since 2014.

Israelis complained in the weeks following Biden's inauguration in January that he was slow to name his envoy and to reach out to Netanyahu. Some Israeli officials worried that the relative early silence forecast a chillier relationship between the two close allies after Trump's warm embrace.

Biden, who spoke to Netanyahu for the first time about four weeks after his swearing-in, had put off his first call with Netanyahu, in part, because he first wanted to speak with key European allies as he weighed his steps on reviving the Iran nuclear deal hatched during former US President Barack Obama's administration and shelved by the Trump White House.

The official said that even before this month's fighting, the Biden administration's diplomatic efforts with Israel had been complicated by Israel's own chaotic politics in the lead-up to the fourth round of elections there in March.

Nides launched his Washington career in 2006 working for Rep. Tony Coelho, the Democratic majority whip. He also worked for Democratic House Speaker Tom Foley early in his career. Under US President Bill Clinton's administration, he served as chief of staff to US Trade Representative Mickey Kantor. Obama nominated him in 2010 to serve as deputy secretary of state for management and resources.

In addition to his work at Morgan Stanley, Nides has also done stints as a top executive at Fannie Mae, Credit Suisse First Boston, Zurich-based Credit Suisse Group, and the global public relations firm Burson-Marsteller.

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The senior US official welcomed Ashkenazi's confirmation Hamas and Israel had agreed to a ceasefire.

Both leaders expressed their appreciation for Egyptian efforts to mediate a ceasefire.

Blinken said he would remain in close contact with his Egyptian counterpart as well as other regional figures.

Ashkenazi welcomed Blinken's planned Israel trip that will see the US secretary of state meet with his Israeli and Palestinian counterparts as well as other representatives.

In the coming days, Blinken will discuss with those officials joint efforts for building a better future for Israelis and Palestinians.

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US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told his Israeli counterpart on Friday that Israelis and Palestinians should enjoy "equal measures of freedom, security, prosperity, and democracy."

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Blinken's comments reflected more of a focus on the Palestinians than the pro-Israel policy conducted by US President Joe Biden's Republican predecessor, Donald Trump.

Blinken made the point in a phone conversation with Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi.

A statement from State Department spokesman Ned Price said the two leaders discussed regional security challenges, humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian people, and the normalization of relations with Arab and Muslim majority countries.

Trump last year helped seal normalization deals between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan, and Morocco. Biden has yet to focus heavily on adding more countries to the list. Some Arab countries want to see the long-standing dispute between Israel and the Palestinians resolved before agreeing to a deal.

He said Blinken reiterated the United States' "strong commitment to Israel and its security and looks forward to strengthening all aspects of the US-Israel partnership."

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A US intelligence report released Friday concluded Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman authorized either the kidnapping or assassination of journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in 2018.

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The details of the report, which have been reported in the past, are based on circumstantial evidence.

So, for example, the report bases its assessment on the crown prince's control of the decision-making process in the kingdom, the direct involvement of his adviser Saud al-Qahtani and members of the royal security system in the killing, and his support for the use of violent means to silence opponents of the regime overseas.

It seems US President Joe Biden's administration could have sufficed with a public condemnation to placate the Democratic party's puritanical wing, a wing that is nevertheless less puritanical when it comes to Iran.

Yet the US secretary went even further. In a statement that followed, Antony Blinken announced a "Khashoggi Ban" that would allow the White House to impose visa restrictions on figures who act "on behalf of a foreign government, are believed to have been directly engaged in serious, extraterritorial counter-dissident activities, including those that suppress, harass, surveil, threaten, or harm journalists, activists, or other persons perceived to be dissidents for their work, or who engage in such activities with respect to the families or other close associates of such persons."

The ban, which went into immediate effect, was imposed on 76 Saudis the US believes were involved in threatening opponents of the regime, including Khashoggi, overseas. As a result, the US Treasury will sanction former Saudi intelligence official Ahmad Asiri, bin Salman's guards, and members of the elite Saudi unit known as the "Tiger Squad," among others. Asked why no sanctions were imposed on the crown prince himself, Blinken replied that the US was interested in recalibrating and not cutting off its Saudi ties.

Anyone who has followed the Saudi arena and its ties with the US since Biden entered office might, however, view this move as Washington once again turning its back on a central ally in the name of serving as a beacon of liberal values. Yet US officials would be hard-pressed to find a more liberal alternative to bin Salman in Riyadh.

Nevertheless, the Biden administration has not sufficed with taking the Houthi rebels off the US's terrorist list, saying it intends to halt support for the Saudi coalition in the war in Yemen, and hopes for a return to the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. Now, it has imposed sanctions on members of the Saudi regime.

From Riyadh's standpoint, this is even more insulting given its recent efforts to appease the Biden White House. Political activists, most prominent among them Loujain al-Hathloul, have been released from prison, and the kingdom announced its intention to implement a series of judicial reforms. In addition, Riyadh made extreme concessions to reach a reconciliation with and remove its blockade of Qatar despite the Gulf state failing to meet any of the demands laid out by boycotting parties three years prior.

At the same time, Iran has increased its provocations against the kingdom. The Houthis in Yemen ramped up their drone attacks, damaging a passenger airplane at an airport in southern Saudi Arabia. The ayatollahs last month went even farther when, according to an Associated Press report, drones, whose Iranian components were put together in Iraq, were launched by Shia militias on the Iraqi border, toward Riyadh, ultimately crashing in the vicinity of the Saudi royal palace.

Saudi Arabia may have rejected the US statement, which it called "false and unacceptable," as well as any move that would impact its leadership, sovereignty, or the independence of its judicial system.  The Saudi Foreign Ministry claimed the US intelligence report contained "inaccurate information and conclusions." It also once again distanced itself from the "group of individuals" it said had acted in violation of all regulations and authorities and emphasized the kingdom had taken steps to prosecute and sentence those involved within the framework of its judicial system.

Yet the Saudi Foreign Ministry didn't completely shut the door on the US, instead emphasizing the partnership between Riyadh and Washington was "robust and enduring."

Toward the end of former US President Donald Trump's term in office, Israel Hayom reported the crown prince faced a dilemma as to whether to normalize ties with Israel. On one hand, the window of opportunity to do so was closing, while the move was met with opposition from the kingdom's more conservative members, chief among them Saudi King Salman, who has continued to support the Saudi peace initiative. On the other hand, it was unclear what bin Salman had to gain under the Biden administration that he couldn't have achieved under Trump.

Given the impasse in Israel-Palestinian talks, the Arab initiative still seems irrelevant. Israel is not expected to see the formation of a left-wing coalition following the coming March 23 election. And even in the shadow of the coronavirus, the Palestinians do not appear to be very interested in forging closer ties. Elections for the Palestinian Legislative Council, to be held on May 22, could end in a victory for Hamas that sees the terror group gain a foothold in the Palestinian Authority.

Against this background, bin Salman appears to have missed the train to normalization. He continues to face opposition from the kingdom's conservative wing, has zero chance of being able to sponsor a political process between Ramallah and Jerusalem, and whatever he could have achieved under Trump is no longer on the table.

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