U.S. ends final source of aid for Palestinians

WASHINGTON — As part of its policy to end all aid for Palestinian civilians, the United States is blocking millions of dollars to programs that build relationships between Israelis and Palestinians, according to current and former U.S. officials briefed on the change.

The move to prevent Palestinians — including, in many cases, children — from benefiting from the funds squeezes shut the last remaining channel of U.S. aid to Palestinian civilians.

The money already had been budgeted by Congress for allocation in fiscal year 2017, which ends this month. In the past, these designated funds went mostly to programs that organized people-to-people exchanges between Palestinians and Israelis, often for youth. Some went to programs for Israeli Jews and Arabs.

Advocates had hoped this last $10 million pot of money would remain available to projects with Palestinians, even as the Trump administration cut all other aid.

But last week, officials from the U.S. Agency for International Development told congressional aides that programs that benefit Palestinians alongside Israelis would not receive any new money, said Tim Rieser, foreign policy aide to Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt. Leahy established the broader program managed by USAID.

The agency’s officials did not want to cut programs with Palestinians, but had to accommodate a White House that does not want to send U.S. funds to Palestinians, Rieser said.

As a result, only programs with Israeli Jews and Israeli Arabs will get funding, contrary to the tradition of the funds and intent of Congress.

“Essentially, USAID was faced with the choice of shutting down the program and losing the funds, or keeping something going,” Rieser said. “They decided to support programs that involve Israeli Jews and Israeli Arabs.”

Programs currently on multiyear grants will still get all their funds, Rieser said.

In a statement on Friday, USAID said it is “currently unable to engage Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza as a result of the administration’s recent decision on Palestinian assistance.”

The broad push to cut all funding to Palestinian civilians is promoted by Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of President Donald Trump and the top White House adviser on the Middle East. Kushner has been working on a peace proposal for the Israelis and Palestinians, and is seeking maximum negotiating leverage over the Palestinians.