The Palestinian American community and US organizations on Wednesday called for the immediate restoration of US aid to Palestinians.

In an official letter addressed to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and published on WAFA news site, the Palestinian American community and concerned American organizations called on Blinken to immediately restore all economic and humanitarian aid to Palestinians.

“We call on the newly elected Biden Administration to immediately intervene in the current Covid-19 pandemic crisis facing the Palestinian people in the occupied West Bank and Gaza, and to also immediately restore all economic and humanitarian aid to U.N. Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) for Palestine refugees needed to fund critical food assistance, schools, healthcare, and social services,” the letter read.

The letter stressed the “crucial role” played by the Palestinian American community in electing the US President Joe Biden and Biden’s promise to “restore America’s role and voice as a human rights champion on a global scale”, urging Biden to help alleviate the suffering of the Palestinian people.

“We call upon the Biden Administration to fulfill its campaign promises and take immediate steps to restore urgently needed economic and humanitarian aid to the Palestinian people in the form of assistance to refugees through UNRWA, and work to address the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza,” they added.

The Palestinian American community and the concerned organizations pointed to the fact that Israel, as an occupying force, has been dodging its “moral and legal obligation to ensure that Palestinians have access to a quality Covid-19 vaccine”, as they called upon the US administration to spare no effort to pressure Israel into fulfilling its obligations.

“As American citizens, we call upon your Administration to do everything in its power to pressure Israel to fulfill its moral and humanitarian obligations and make vaccine supplies accessible to the entire Palestinian population living under Israeli occupation,” the letter read.

As part of the restoration of aid, the signatories called on the US administration to “reverse the Trump Administration’s policies by prioritizing the restoration of humanitarian aid, including the $25 million in financial assistance to six East Jerusalem hospitals that provide invaluable medical care for patients from the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem.”