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A second tranche of nearly $148 million that was supposed to fund the Palestinian police forces was recently unblocked after the committee received assurances about the use of the funds and their importance to US national security.
A senior Israeli official told AFP on condition of anonymity that the block on aid had been a "signal" sent by Congress to the Palestinians over their UN statehood bid.
They should "reconsider their policy, and focus on negotiation rather than confrontation," added the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Even though they have unblocked the aid, Ros-Lehtinen and a number of other Republican and Democratic lawmakers remain vehemently opposed to UN recognition of a Palestinian state.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton asked Congress on October 27 to preserve the aid to the Palestinian Authority, warning that otherwise Hamas militants, who run the Gaza Strip, could try to fill the void.
The United States insists that UN recognition of Palestine would be meaningless unless it first negotiates a peace agreement with Israel.
Meanwhile, the Mideast Quartet -- the United States, the European Union, Russia and the United Nations -- have called for full peace accord by the end of 2012.
Several US lawmakers have raised the possibility of reviewing US aid to the Palestinians and even Washington's financial contributions to the United Nations, after the Palestinians requested recognition of the United Nations in September.
Last week, the United States announced it was cutting off funding to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization after it voted to admit the Palestinians as a full member.
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A senior Israeli official told AFP on condition of anonymity that the block on aid had been a "signal" sent by Congress to the Palestinians over their UN statehood bid.
They should "reconsider their policy, and focus on negotiation rather than confrontation," added the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Even though they have unblocked the aid, Ros-Lehtinen and a number of other Republican and Democratic lawmakers remain vehemently opposed to UN recognition of a Palestinian state.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton asked Congress on October 27 to preserve the aid to the Palestinian Authority, warning that otherwise Hamas militants, who run the Gaza Strip, could try to fill the void.
The United States insists that UN recognition of Palestine would be meaningless unless it first negotiates a peace agreement with Israel.
Meanwhile, the Mideast Quartet -- the United States, the European Union, Russia and the United Nations -- have called for full peace accord by the end of 2012.
Several US lawmakers have raised the possibility of reviewing US aid to the Palestinians and even Washington's financial contributions to the United Nations, after the Palestinians requested recognition of the United Nations in September.
Last week, the United States announced it was cutting off funding to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization after it voted to admit the Palestinians as a full member.
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