The United States decided to withhold $65 million in aid to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) for "future consideration" and donate $60 million, State Department officials said on Tuesday. The initial amount intended for the UN agency for Palestinian refugees was $125 million, but was frozen on January 5 for reexamination. The whole amount was scheduled to be delivered on January 1.
US President Donald Trump came out against further aid to Palestine on January 2 when he tweeted: "But with the Palestinians no longer willing to talk peace, why should we make any of these massive future payments to them?" The US is by far the single largest contributor to UNRWA, funding around 30% of its activities. Without the $60 million Washington decided to donate, the agency would have been "at risk of running out of funds and closing down," said a State Department official who wanted to remain anonymous.
