Reuters reports that the Arab League has wired $50 million to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas for "humanitarian grants to government workers who have gone unpaid for months."
Hesham Youssef, chief of staff for Arab League S-G Amr Moussa, said the money -- donated by Arab states including Qatar, Libya and Syria -- was sent on Monday to an account held by Abbas's office after months of delays.
The Arab League move followed a similar transfer of $15 million it sent to Abbas last week to "aid Palestinian refugees in Arab countries."
The Arab League has been trying for months to find a way to transfer aid to the Hamas-led Palestinian Authority, but has been blocked by U.S. restrictions. Under U.S. law, any foreign bank that refuses to cooperate with the U.S. in cutting off funding to Hamas risks having its U.S. assets frozen and its access to U.S. financial markets denied.
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