After a rough couple of weeks in the Middle East between Israel and the Palestinians, President Obama promises Palestine’s President Mahmoud Abbas $400 million in aid following their meeting this week.
The two heads of state met in Washington a week after an Israeli military operation involving a flotilla caused an international incident in which militant activists and aid workers tried to break a blockade of the Gaza Strip. The event left nine people dead including an American on a Turkish-flagged ship.
According to Israel the blockade was needed to keep weapons out of the hands of Gaza’s Hamas rulers. However, critics claim it has blocked contact with the outside world causing unnecessary stress for Gaza’s 1.5 million Palestinians.