US administration seeking to unblock aid to Palestinians

The Obama administration is lobbying Congress to unblock $200 million in aid for the Palestinian Authority that was frozen because of its statehood bid in the United Nations. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland was quoted as having said that the administration was in "intensive" discussions with key lawmakers who had put holds on the money. "We still have some money in the pipeline but the concern is that if we don’t get this going with the Congress in short order there could be an effect on the ground," Nuland told a news briefing. She added, "There have been some concerns in some parts of Congress and we are trying to work through those." Over the weekend, the British Independent newspaper reported that officials in Washington have decided to hold up aid to the Palestinian Authority. U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta criticized the Congressional move during a Tel Aviv press conference with Israeli counterpart Ehud Barak.