No more US cash for Palestinian aid agency

Israel’s prime minister has welcomed the US decision to stop funding the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, accusing it of perpetuating a crisis that lies at the heart of the Israeli-palestinian conflict.

The agency’s commissioner rejected the accusations, saying that the failure of political leaders to resolve the conflict has caused the refugee crisis to drag on for 70 years.

The US cut off millions in funding to UNRWA on Friday, calling it an “irredeemably flawed operation”. The US has in the past been the largest donor, providing roughly 30 per cent of UNRWA’S budget.

UNRWA has warned the cuts could hurt its operations, including schools with over 500,000 students. It provides education and social services to five million people across the region.