The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) will end all its projects in the occupied West Bank and the besieged Gaza Strip on January 31, following the US administration’s decision to cut funding to the Palestinians, Dave Harden, former USAID Mission Director and Managing Director of the Georgetown Strategy Group, confirmed on Thursday.
Washington to Terminate USAID Office in Palestine on January 31
https://t.co/yADKbaGA2f— Yosra Alsarraj (@Yosrasarraj) January 19, 2019
According to Hebrew-language news outlets, Harden expressed deep concern over the move to shut down USAID and said that the US administration “demonstrates again a lack of nuance, sophistication, and appreciation for the complexity of the situation.”
He stressed,
“Who suffers when USAID leaves schools and water systems unfinished? Palestinians, of course, but also Israelis and Americans. The administration just gave Hamas more running room.”
Washington to cut USaid for Palestinians#usaid #palestine #israel #usa pic.twitter.com/7T07HeNe1Y
— GAZA MEDIA (@gazamedianet) January 19, 2019
The shut down on January 31matches the implementation of the Anti Terrorism Clarification Act, a bill signed into law last October by the Trump administration, which creates liability for the Palestinian Authority (PA) should it accept any foreign assistance from the US government – effectively shutting down all USAID programming.
USAID to End Palestinian Support on January 31st. pic.twitter.com/FlbqOiDS1f
— Palestine Live (@pallive_en) January 19, 2019
US President Donald Trump’s administration notified Congress of its decision to cut more than $200 million in bilateral aid to the Palestinians, in August 2018, following a review of the funding for projects in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
(Ma’an, PC, Social Media)
OLD SAYING: “ONCE BITTEN, TWICE SHY.” This guy shuts down 20% of his own government & let them starve without pay in order to see if he can bribe & bully Pelosi & her team of Democrats to allow funding for his 5.7 billion dollar wall. It is all black mail & money to Trump as he wields economic sanctions against countries that stand up to his corrupt policies. Notice that his building contractors will build the wall so like the cartoon Scrooge McDuck he’ll count his money in his money vault -no amount of money can buy a stress free healthy lifestyle. My pedigree female cat “Missy Magic” sleeps daily on the chair cushion- Hirbawi-original, kufiya is hanging-she is very fussy. HOLD STRONG.