For Palestinian aid groups, Macklemore's $1M pledge brings relief and attention to ongoing suffering

… <p>NEW YORK (AP) — For the Palestinian relief nonprofits behind a $1 million pledge from rapper <span class="LinkEnhancement"><a class="Link AnClick-LinkEnhancement" data-gtm-enhancement-style="LinkEnhancementA" href="https://apnews.com/hub/macklemore">Macklemore</a></span>, the Grammy winner’s latest contributions offer more than just money.</p><p>Macklemore committed to <span class="LinkEnhancement"><a class="Link AnClick-LinkEnhancement" data-gtm-enhancement-style="LinkEnhancementA" href="https://apnews.com/article/ed-sheeran-tour-macklemore-24cffd7998110b9170593c0c98795c9f">donate his net earnings</a></span> from Ed Sheeran’s Loop Tour after he was <span class="LinkEnhancement"><a class="Link AnClick-LinkEnhancement" data-gtm-enhancement-style="LinkEnhancementA" href="https://apnews.com/article/macklemore-dropped-ed-sheeran-tour-9adb1ee76f15cecfe3c8964ee76de8fc">dropped for making pro-Palestinian comments</a></span> onstage at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium. The goal, he wrote in a Wednesday post on social media, was to “bring the conversation back to where it belongs” — the Palestinian people — after a 48-hour period that saw four <span class="LinkEnhancement"><a class="Link AnClick-LinkEnhancement" data-gtm-enhancement-style="LinkEnhancementA" href="https://apnews.com/article/ed-sheeran-responds-macklemore-tour-3fd73815563039bea9b88f5efe745d62">supporting acts quit in solidarity</a></span> and confusion over who <span class="LinkEnhancement"><a class="Link AnClick-LinkEnhancement" data-gtm-enhancement-style="LinkEnhancementA" href="https://apnews.com/article/ed-sheeran-macklemore-how-tours-work-f71c8057452f110cf8fa43d61b9293ce">held responsibility for the decision</a></span>.</p><p>The six donation recipients included Medical Aid for Palestinians, Palestine Children’s Relief Fund and the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees, <span class="LinkEnhancement"><a class="Link AnClick-LinkEnhancement" data-gtm-enhancement-style="LinkEnhancementA" href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-un-aid-refugees-29932f8d12c4fa748daa03e3689dc536">UNRWA</a></span>. In addition to the funding windfall, their leaders welcomed the renewed public awareness of the <span class="LinkEnhancement"><a class="Link AnClick-LinkEnhancement" data-gtm-enhancement-style="LinkEnhancementA" href="https://apnews.com/article/gaza-israel-hamas-ceasefire-shifa-33cf517a6d89ac27a24fa9de09b088fe">perilous living conditions</a></span> faced by the Palestinian people they treat regularly.</p><p>“Even if you don’t see bombs falling every night, the rubble is still there,” said Alicia Phillips Mandaville, the acting CEO of Anera, another beneficiary. “And the traumatized children are still traumatized.”</p> …