Congress is blocking almost $160 million in US assistance as the Palestinians prepare to once again take their statehood bid to the UN Security Council later this month.

The money has been on hold since last fall as key lawmakers seek to convince the Palestinians to abandon their unilateral effort to restart stalled peace negotiations through international pressure. House foreign aid appropriations subcommittee Chairwoman Kay Granger, R-Texas, told Al-Monitor she had no immediate plans to release the aid as her panel prepares to unveil its spending priorities for the next fiscal year.

"Right now we're not giving any money to the Palestinians," Granger told Al-Monitor last week. "And there's nothing that I expect to do [to change that]."

The United States has given the Palestinians some $5 billion in bilateral economic and security assistance since the mid-1990s, making them one of the largest beneficiaries of US aid per capita, with $364 million more requested for the fiscal year that starts Oct. 1. The Palestinians say the assistance helps the Palestinian Authority (PA) pay its bills and provide security in the West Bank.