Trump administration to end U.S. funding to U.N. program for Palestinian refugees

[DonViejo]

Source: The Washington Post



By Karen DeYoung and Ruth Eglash

August 30 at 8:03 PM

The Trump administration has decided to cancel all U.S. funding of the United Nations aid program for Palestinian refugees, part of its determination to put its money where its policy is 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 the way the U.N. Relief and Works Agency, or UNRWA, spends the 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, comprised of those still alive from when the agency was created seven decades ago, according to officials familiar with the decision.

Any such reduction would effectively eliminate, for most Palestinians, the “right of return” to land contested with Israel. More immediately, many regional foreign policy and security experts, including in Israel, say that slashing UNRWA’s budget, amid a call to “de-register” refu­gees, would worsen an already disastrous humanitarian situation, especially in Gaza, and sharply increase the level of violence.

In addition to contributions to UNRWA, the United States has provided direct, bilateral assistance to the West Bank and Gaza. Last week, the State Department announced that more than $200 million in already-appropriated aid for this year would be “redirected” elsewhere. The cuts in funding, along with shifts in policy, including recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, are part of a major reshaping of Middle East policy under President Trump.

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/trump-administration-to-end-us-funding-to-un-program-for-palestinian-refugees/2018/08/30/009d9bc6-ac64-11e8-b1da-ff7faa680710_story.html

[The Liberal Lion]

1. But of course, how else should they continue funding Iron Dome

[bluestarone]

2. NO good bastard

We are living the worst nightmare of ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[herding cats]

3. Yeah, that's good for Israel. (Sarcasm)

Tension will escalate, lives will be lost and evangelicals will be bouncing in their seats as they watch.

Fuck Trump.

[sinkingfeeling]

4. Thank the gods, I ceased to donate to America only organizations. I now

make 98% of my donations to groups like Bridge for Peace -Syria, UNHCR, Doctors without Borders, and others that benefit the 22 million refugees of the world.

If this country decided to take care of feeding it's poor and ensuring children weren't denied health care instead of $1 trillion in tax breaks and $800 billion in military spending, then I might change my mind.

How dare they call this a "Christian" country when the assholes deny refugees?

[EX500rider]

5. What they are doing is canceling "Hereditary Refugee Status"

Which I kind of agree with, no other refugee group has ever been granted that status.

"As a result, the original 700,000 Palestinian refugees have grown to over four million. Of the original 700,000 Palestinian refugees, only about 50,000 are still alive. In 1967 there was another wave of Palestinian refugees as Israel took control of the West Bank and about 300,000 West Bank Arabs joined the Palestinian refugee community. Over 50,000 of these are still alive."


http://strategypage.com/qnd/israel/articles/20180830.aspx

[Cold War Spook]

7. Do you feel the same way about European Jews.

Israel allows any Jew from any country the right to move to there.

[EX500rider]

8. Israel like any country can set it owns immigration polices.

What I don't think is people born in Jordan who parents were born in Jordan and whose grandparents were born in Jordan have any "right to return" to some other country.

[EX500rider]

6. "Palestinians brand US aid cut to UN group 'a flagrant assault' "

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-45381173

"Palestinian officials have condemned the US decision to end all funding to the UN's Palestinian refugee agency.
The US has been the largest donor to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (Unrwa) - but now says the organisation is "irredeemably flawed".

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's spokesman has called the move a "flagrant assault against the Palestinian people".
However, an Israeli official told AFP: "Israel supports the US move".

Unrwa says it currently supports more than five million Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon, including providing health care, education and social services."

[Cold War Spook]

9. Israel has lost its way.

Starting on June 8, 1967 Israel didn't mind killing American Marines and Sailors trying to keep their attack on the Golan Heights secret. Now it has reached the point where they do not consider Muslims to be humans, making it easier for them to kill Muslims.

[EX500rider]

10. The attack on the Liberty was ruled a accident by the Chief of Naval Operations investigation:

U.S. Naval Court of Inquiry of June 1967
http://www.thelibertyincident.com/docs/CourtOfInquiry.pdf

Prefer the Joint Chief of Staff's Report of June 1967?
http://www.thelibertyincident.com/docs/JCSreport.pdf

CIA Intelligence Memorandums of June 1967 maybe?
http://www.thelibertyincident.com/docs/CIAreports.pdf

Senate Foreign Relations Committee Testimony during hearings of the 1967 Foreign Aid Authorization bill, July 1967:
http://www.thelibertyincident.com/docs/SenateInvestigation.pdf

House Armed Services Committee Investigation of 1971
http://thelibertyincident.com/docs/HouseInvestigation1971.pdf

[Cold War Spook]

11. And what were they going to say,

about our strongest ally in the Middle East. Do you know what the crew of the USS Liberty was doing when attacked, I do. Do you know what Israel military thought they were doing, I do. Have you read the transcripts of outgoing messages sent during the action, I have. How many men on that ship have talked to you about it? 4.