THE U.S. DEFIES ISRAEL, BACKS AID FOR PALESTINIANS.

The Trump administration has pledged full funding to an oft-maligned UN relief agency for Palestinian refugees, defying calls by Israel’s Prime Minister and pro-Israel lawmakers to dismantle it, according to several diplomatic sources.

Nikki Haley, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, has privately assured the UN Relief and Works Agency, or UNRWA, that the United States, which provides more than $300 million to the agency each year, will maintain its current levels of funding to the organization.

Thomas Shannon, the Undersecretary of State for political affairs, meanwhile, wrote on Aug. 1 to several wealthy donors, including Canada and the Gulf states of Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, to cough up more than $100 million to meet a shortfall in funding for UNRWA, according to those diplomats.

The moves run contrary to the administration’s push to rein in spending on UN relief programs elsewhere. It reflects growing concern that the imposition of sharp cuts to Palestinian relief programs could thwart the White House campaign to restart Middle East peace talks, and inject further political instability in a region that stands permanently perched on the brink of political upheaval.

It also highlights one of the curious realities of Washington politics: While Israel and its Congressional backers routinely bash UNRWA for what they view as its proPalestinian bias, U.S. officials find ways each year to raise hundreds of millions to fund the organization, which provides a range of services to 5 million Palestinian refugees in Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria.

“The Israelis are stuck in a position where the only thing worse than supporting UNRWA is not supporting UNRWA and having total chaos in the West Bank or Gaza,” said Ilan Goldenberg, a former State Department official who served as a member of then Secretary of State John Kerry’s Middle East negotiating team.

The debate over funding comes at a time when the Palestinian refugee agency is confronting an aid gap of just over $126 million for 2017. With its cash set to run out in September, the agency may have to cut programs for vaccines, diabetes medicine, and sanitation. For the time being, UNRWA is pressing ahead with plans to open its schools for the new year, but they cannot keep them open without more funds.

The Trump administration’s embrace of the UN refugee program contrasts starkly with its typically tough stance toward the Palestinian Authority.