FP: US to Cut All Funding to UNRWA

Local Editor

In a dramatic expansion of aid cuts to Palestinians, the United States is reportedly set to halt all funding to United Nations Relief and Works Agency [UNRWA], the international body dedicated exclusively to providing humanitarian assistance to Palestinians throughout the Middle East.

According to a report by Foreign Policy on Tuesday evening said the decision to end US funding to the agency was made at a meeting earlier this month between US President Donald Trump's son-in-law and top adviser on the “Israeli”-Palestinian peace process Jared Kushner and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

The report, which cited several unnamed sources, said that the Trump administration has informed "key regional governments" of its plan in recent weeks.

A State Department spokesperson declined to comment to Foreign Policy on the report, saying only that "US policy regarding UNRWA has been under frequent evaluation and internal discussion."

The United States had previously been the single largest UNRWA contributor, proving some $350 million to the agency each year. But the White House announced in January that it would withhold $65 million in assistance to the agency as part of a string of cuts in its aid to the Palestinians.

The reported decision to end all UNRWA funding comes days after the State Department announced that it would slash over $200 million in economic relief allotted for the West Bank and Gaza following a review into aid programs to the Palestinian territories.

UNRWA funds various education, health and welfare services for some five million Palestinians in the West Bank, Gaza Strip, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team