USAID cuts most of its employees in the West Bank and Gaza

2019-04-19 20:24:24
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The United States Agency for International Development said in a statement that it was preparing to lay off most of its workers in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, but did not intend to stop its activity in both areas in full.

Israeli public radio said on Thursday that the number of local staff, mostly Palestinians and Palestinians in the interior, as well as some Jewish Israelis, would have reduced from about 100 to 14.

The move comes after the Trump administration warned hundreds of millions of dollars in aid to the Palestinians.

In January 2018, Trump began a review of all aid to the Palestinians, and in July of that year it said it would redirect all fiscal year 2017 funds to other countries. Trump continues to retain fiscal year 2018 pending the review results.

The cuts were seen as an attempt to pressure Palestinian officials to resume peace talks with Israel and re-engage with the White House before announcing his promised Middle East peace plan, known as the "century deal" that the Palestinians have rejected.