US State Department on Friday announced that president Donald Trump had decided to cut about $200 million in aid to the Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
A senior State Department official said the move followed a review commissioned at the direction of president Trump to ensure these funds are spent in accordance with US national interests.
“As a result of that review we will redirect more than $200 million … originally planned for programs in the West Bank and Gaza. Those funds will now address high-priority projects elsewhere” he added.
This is not the first time Trump has cut longstanding aid bound to the Palestinians. In January Washington announced it would withhold $65 million in assistance to UNRWA.
Relations between the Palestinians and US have been strained since Trump recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel in December 2017 and announced his plan to move the US embassy from Tel Aviv to the holy city.
UNRWA has repeatedly warned that cutting aid to Palestinians will worsen the already deteriorating humanitarian situation in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
