U.S. to stop funding aid for Palestinian refugees

WASHINGTON — The Trump administration has decided to cancel all U.S. funding of the United Nations aid program for Palestinian refugees as it seeks a recalculation of U.S. foreign aid spending and prepares its own Israeli-Palestinian peace plan.

In an announcement to be made within the next several weeks, the administration plans to voice its disapproval of how the U.N. Relief and Works Agency spends funds and to call for a sharp reduction in the number of Palestinians recognized as refugees, dropping it from more than 5 million, including descendants, to fewer than a tenth of that number or less.

Many policy and security experts, including in Israel, say slashing the budget would worsen an already grim humanitarian situation, especially in Gaza, and sharply increase the level of violence.