US cut ‘severe’ setback for Palestinians

The director of an east Jerusalem hospital said yesterday a US decision to cut funding to hospitals serving the Palestinians will have a “severe effect”.

Bassem Abu Libdeh, of the Makassed hospital, said the US covers 40 per cent of costs in six hospitals that provide care for Palestinians from the Israeli-occupied West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

The Trump administration announced the $25 million cut on Saturday, saying it would redirect the money towards “high-priority projects elsewhere”.

The US has also cut funding to UNWRA, which serves Palestinian refugees.