US President Joe Biden plans to announce $100 million in aid to Palestinian hospitals in East Jerusalem during his visit to the Middle East this week.
Five Israeli officials indicated to the US website Axios that the US administration considered the pledge of funding to be the Palestinians' main achievement during the visit.
Biden is expected to visit Augusta Victoria Hospital during his trip.
The Biden administration asked Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar to provide similar assistance to hospitals, according to two sources who said they were "in direct contact with the subject."
The UAE announced a $25 million donation to the Makassed Hospital in East Jerusalem on Saturday
- and Saudi Arabia and Qatar have yet to announce any donation, according to Axios.
- The Biden administration has also asked Israel to provide funding to hospitals
- according to Israeli officials, but Israel has yet to provide a response.
The site said that the United States' request for the three Gulf States was part of an attempt to make it more involved in the Israeli-Palestinian cause.
- He adds that both Saudis and Emiratis have poor relations with the Palestinian Authority, according to the website.
- The Biden administration hoped that that position would change and that the normalization process between Israel and the Arab States would also benefit the Palestinians
- according to US officials spoken to by the site.
The site said that the US Ambassador to Israel, Tom Needs, played a key role in the US declaration and held several meetings on the subject with officials from the Israeli Ministry of Health and the Prime Minister's Office, according to two Israeli officials.
Needes told Israeli officials that there was bipartisan support for East Jerusalem's hospitals, many of which were linked to Christian organizations and institutions.
The White House and the State Department declined to respond to Axios' request for comment.
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