US Lawmakers Urge Trump Administration to Prevent West Bank Economic Collapse
Six bipartisan US lawmakers urged Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to prevent the economic collapse of the Palestinian Authority, warning it could strengthen Hamas and Iranian proxies in the West Bank.
US Lawmakers Urge Action to Prevent Palestinian Authority Collapse
Six bipartisan US lawmakers have written to Secretary of State Марко Рубио and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, urging the Дональд Трамп administration to take action to prevent the economic collapse of the Palestinian Authority. The legislators warned that a sharp deterioration in the economy of the West Bank could strengthen ХАМАС and other Iranian-backed groups.
The bipartisan initiative is led by Democratic Representative Brad Schneider and Republican Craig Goldman, who serve as co-chairs of the Abraham Accords Caucus in Congress. Additional signatories include Republican Representatives Ann Wagner and Gus Bilirakis, alongside Democratic Representatives Debbie Wasserman Schultz and Jimmy Panetta.
"The United States must confront and weaken terrorist organizations like Hamas and other Iranian-backed actors, but we must not unnecessarily undermine stability in the West Bank while doing so," Schneider said.
Economic Stability and Regional Security
In their letter, the lawmakers emphasized that a functioning Palestinian economy promotes broader stability and increases the prospects for peace. Goldman stressed that supporting Israel's security and defeating terrorist organizations remain core pillars of American foreign policy, but warned that economic instability in the West Bank could create a dangerous vacuum.
The letter notes that a fiscal crisis weakening the Palestinian Authority creates precisely the type of vacuum that extremist groups seek to exploit for recruitment, weapons smuggling, and eroding security cooperation with Israel.
Calls for Reform and Financial Mechanisms
The lawmakers clarified they are not asking Israel to ease its efforts against terror financing and acknowledge its legitimate security concerns since 7 октября. However, they warned that withholding billions of dollars in clearance revenues collected by Israel on behalf of the Palestinian Authority could accelerate its economic collapse.
At the same time, the members of Congress stressed that the Palestinian Authority must fulfill its own obligations, including implementing meaningful reforms and combating corruption. They also highlighted concerns regarding banking ties between Israeli and Palestinian institutions, warning that cutting off regulated financial channels would push transactions into unmonitored cash economies and complicate counter-terrorism efforts.
