United States Contributes $20 Million to Relief Effort for Palestinian Refugees in Lebanon

Of course this money is dwarfed by the billions (?) the U.S. spends on Israel each year, but...

According to a Department of State Press Release dated May 14, 2010:

"U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Michele Sison announced on May 12, 2010, that the United States is in the process of contributing $20 million to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) to support reconstruction and emergency relief at Nahr al-Bared refugee camp in Lebanon. Fighting destroyed the camp in 2007, displacing 30,000 refugees.

"This $20 million contribution will support the reconstruction of homes, schools and health clinics in the camp and provide assistance to the most vulnerable of the displaced refuges by supplying food, shelter, water and sanitation facilities, healthcare and access to basic education while the camp is being reconstructed. With this contribution, the U.S. will have provided more than $91 million for Nahr al-Bared and encourages other donors to strongly support UNRWA’s relief and reconstruction efforts.

"The United States is UNRWA’s largest bilateral donor. In 2009, the United States provided over $267 million to UNRWA. With this contribution, the U.S will have provided $115 million to UNRWA in 2010, including $35 million for emergency operations in the West Bank and Gaza and $60 million for the General Fund, which supports core services for 4.7 million refugees in the West Bank, Gaza, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon, including providing education for nearly 500,000 Palestinian children in 691 UNRWA schools."