According to an Iran Press report, a senior State Department official said the decision, made “at the direction of the president,” came after a review of aid programs to the Palestinian territories.
The funding previously allocated for programs in the occupied West Bank and Gaza will “now address high-priority projects elsewhere”, said the official.
In January, the United States had already made drastic cuts to its contribution to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA.
Relations between the US administration and the Palestinian Authority took a nosedive after Donald Trump announced US recognises the city of al-Quds / Jerusalem as the capital of the Israeli regime.
The Palestinians have suspended contacts with the administration and consider that it can no longer play a mediation role in the Middle East peace process.
Husam Zomlot, head of the Palestinian General Delegation to the United States said in a statement: “After recognition of al-Quds-Jerusalem as capital and cutting funding to UNRWA, this is another confirmation of America abandoning the two-state solution and fully embracing Benjamin Netanyahu’s anti-peace agenda.”
The decision to cut Palestinian funding comes amid a humanitarian crisis in Gaza, which has seen a surge in needless killings and violence since peaceful Palestinian protests began in March and the Israeli army responded by firing live rounds and tear gas canisters at the protesters.
At least 171 Palestinians have been killed and martyred by Israeli army fire during demonstrations at Gaza's border fence with Israel.
(The Guardian newspaper contributed to this report )
