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CAIRO (Reuters) – Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki on Tuesday described President Donald Trump's decision to suspend US funding for the UN refugee agency.
PHOTO: A Palestinian carries a sack of flour inside a relief distribution center of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip , September 4, 2018. REUTERS / Ibraheem Abu Mustafa
Trump's decision left UNRWA trying to cover a $ 200 million shortfall from Gulf and European donors, and further heightened tensions between Washington and Palestinian leaders.
Relationships have deteriorated sharply since Trump decided to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital last year, reversing decades of US policy and provoking Arab warnings that they could fuel crises in the region. Foreign governments and organizations, with a few exceptions, including Israel, have criticized this initiative.
"The US administration has begun to attack the rights of the Palestinian people and international law," Maliki said at a meeting of the Arab League in Cairo, organized to discuss the issue.
Internationally negotiated peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians have stalled since 2014 and Israeli settlements in the occupied territories have gradually developed.
Palestinian leaders say their political situation has deteriorated since Trump came to power in 2017, while Washington pursued a policy favorable to the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a close ally of the United States. .
Netanyahu has widely welcomed Trump's support.
On Monday, the United States also announced that it would close the office of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) in Washington for attempting to punish Israel through the International Criminal Court.
Turkey, a major detractor of Washington's Middle East policy, said on Tuesday that the move was a worrying step and "another sign that the United States had lost its impartiality in the Middle East peace process. -East".
Washington said last month that it was stopping all funding from UNRWA. Last week, Trump ordered that $ 25 million allocated to Palestinian care in East Jerusalem hospitals be directed elsewhere as part of a review of aid.
The United States has stated that UNRWA's business model and tax practices make it an "irretrievably flawed operation".
Jordan, an ally of the United States, said the move would only fuel radicalism and undermine prospects for peace in the Middle East.
Ayman Safadi, Minister of Foreign Affairs, told the Arab League that Jordan would hold a meeting "in cooperation with Sweden, Germany, Japan, the European Union and Turkey" on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly ".
Three Gulf states have announced a total funding of $ 150 million for UNRWA this year and other countries have made new or increased contributions as the agency strives to continue operating.
"I make a humble appeal to you all so that the commitments made (to UNRWA) are effectively transferred," said UNRWA chief Pierre Krahenbuhl to the Arab League delegates in Cairo. "Please also consider additional donation opportunities at this critical time."
Additional report by Ali Kucukgocmen; Editing of Matthew Mpoke Bigg and David Stamp
