The Trump administration late Friday announced that it had cut $200 million in U.S. aid to the Palestinian Authority until it can ensure this American taxpayer money will not be used to fund terrorism, according to U.S. officials who spoke to the Washington Free Beacon.
President Donald Trump directed his administration to freeze $200 million in aid dollars allocated to the PA for economic support, according to an announcement by the State Department issued just a short time after lawmakers on Capitol Hill were informed of the move, sources said.
One senior U.S. official familiar with the decision to cut U.S. aid told the Free Beacon the administration will no longer enable the Palestinian Authority and those in the Hamas terrorist government to use aid dollars in their war against Israel.
One former senior Trump administration official told the Free Beacon the decision represents a step in the right direction to push the Palestinian government into genuine peace negotiations with Israel.
"Congress has been working on reducing Palestinian aid for years, which both the Palestinian Authority and Hamas spend on corruption, terrorism incitement, and in many outright terrorism," said the source, who was only authorized to speak on background.
"The Obama administration found a variety of ways to work around Congress's restrictions and laws. The Trump administration is finally doing the right thing, which is implementing our aid policies the way that Congress has repeatedly signaled it wants them implemented."
In its formal statement, the State Department said that as a result of its investigations into U.S. aid to the Palestinian government it determined a full halt must be implemented "To ensure these funds are spent in accordance with U.S. national interests and provide value to the U.S. taxpayer."
https://freebeacon.com/national-security/trump-admin-cuts-u-s-aid-palestinians/
President Donald Trump directed his administration to freeze $200 million in aid dollars allocated to the PA for economic support, according to an announcement by the State Department issued just a short time after lawmakers on Capitol Hill were informed of the move, sources said.
One senior U.S. official familiar with the decision to cut U.S. aid told the Free Beacon the administration will no longer enable the Palestinian Authority and those in the Hamas terrorist government to use aid dollars in their war against Israel.
One former senior Trump administration official told the Free Beacon the decision represents a step in the right direction to push the Palestinian government into genuine peace negotiations with Israel.
"Congress has been working on reducing Palestinian aid for years, which both the Palestinian Authority and Hamas spend on corruption, terrorism incitement, and in many outright terrorism," said the source, who was only authorized to speak on background.
"The Obama administration found a variety of ways to work around Congress's restrictions and laws. The Trump administration is finally doing the right thing, which is implementing our aid policies the way that Congress has repeatedly signaled it wants them implemented."
In its formal statement, the State Department said that as a result of its investigations into U.S. aid to the Palestinian government it determined a full halt must be implemented "To ensure these funds are spent in accordance with U.S. national interests and provide value to the U.S. taxpayer."
https://freebeacon.com/national-security/trump-admin-cuts-u-s-aid-palestinians/
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