BICOM

The Trump Administration has cut additional aid to Palestinians that funds Israeli-Palestinian co-existence projects, adding to more than $500m in other cuts.

According to the New York Times, the White House will no longer support coexistence programmes as part of its decision to punish Palestinians for their refusal to engage with the US administration. The money will be used to enhance programmes in Israel instead.

The funding cuts include a $10m grant to the annual $26m Conflict Management and Mitigation Programme at USAID. The grant supported people to people projects carried out by high profile organisations including the Parents Circle-Families Forum, the Peres Center for Peace, the Near East Foundation’s Olive Oil Without Borders project, Kids4Peace’s The Peace Builders Forum project, and Search for Common Ground’s Regional Cooperative Health Initiative. Programmes currently on multiyear grants will still receive funds.

USAID said it is “currently unable to engage Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza as a result of the administration’s recent decision on Palestinian assistance,” adding that it would continue “support for civil society working on these issues within Israel”.

US Special Envoy for International Negotiations Jason Greenblatt said: “I continue to believe in the importance of building relationships between Israelis and Palestinians, particularly kids. But both Palestinian and Israeli kids will lose, and these programmes will be meaningless, if the PA [Palestinian Authority] continues to condemn a plan they haven’t seen and refuses to engage on it. Hopefully the PA will lead … let’s see …”

Palestinian Ambassador to Washington, Husam Zomlot, told Palestinian news agency Ma’an that the US revoked the entry visa for him and his family shortly after the White House announced its decision to close the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) mission to the US. According to a PLO statement, US authorities told its US-based employees to cease all operations, close down all bank accounts, and to vacate the premises by 13 October.

In August, the Trump Administration announced it was redirecting $200m that was set aside last year for bilateral aid to Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza. Soon afterward, US officials said they were ending funding to the UN aid agency responsible for Palestinian refugees, as well as redirecting $25m intended for hospitals in East Jerusalem.