House Democrats demand 'transparency' in Trump's review of Palestinian aid funds

Democratic representatives of the US House Foreign Affairs Middle East Subcommittee have demanded greater transparency from the Trump administration regarding its review of the United States’ aid funding to the Palestinian Authority and Gaza Strip.

In a letter addressed to President Trump, all nine Democrats who sit on the committee ask for the “timeline and metrics” being used to assess US assistance to the Palestinians, which according to the letter has been frozen in its entirety since January 2018.

The lawmakers expressed concern that despite repeated inquiries “there seems to be no information available to Members of Congress as to the nature, scope, or duration of this assistance review.

”In January, the White House froze $65 million in funding from the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), the UN branch dedicated exclusively to providing humanitarian assistance to Palestinians.

The White House said at the time that it was “reviewing” its aid to the Palestinian Authority after President Mahmoud Abbas refused to meet with senior US officials in protest of Washington’s controversial recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and decision to relocate the US embassy there.


Read more: https://www.i24news.tv/en/news/international/americas/179270-180712-house-democrats-demand-transparency-in-trump-s-review-of-palestinian-aid-funds