"A day after the US announced it will not give any further funding to UNWRA, the UN agency that aids Palestinian refugees, Israeli officials said the Trump Administration has made clear to them that it intends to see UNRWA closed down altogether and all its functions taken over by other agencies.
The US will not prevent the Gulf states, Arab nations, and others from providing emergency funding to keep UNRWA (the UN's Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees) functioning this year, Israel's Hadashot TV news reported on Saturday, quoting senior Israeli diplomatic sources. But it will condition its consent to further funding by US allies in the Arab world on a reevaluation of UNRWA's role and a redefinition of who the agency defines as a Palestinian refugee. Ultimately the TV report said, the US goal is to 'close down UNRWA altogether.'
The US, which is shortly set to issue a report on the whole Palestinian refugee issue, in which it will reportedly state that there are only some 500,000 Palestinian refugees - as opposed to the 5 million-plus claimed by UNRWA - considers that there are only some 20,000 genuine Palestinian refugees outside the West Bank and Gaza Strip, the TV report also said.
It said the US will now look for other organizations to take on the work done by UNRWA, in education, medical assistance, food aid, and more - with Palestinian recipients acknowledged to be in need of aid, but not considered to be refugees.
To this end, the TV report said, the Trump Administration has already asked King Abdullah of Jordan to take over responsibility for UNRWA's educational network in Jordan - but has been rebuffed. Similarly, it wants Mahmoud Abbas's Palestinian Authority to take responsibility for UNRWA schools in the West Bank and Gaza - but this idea is a non-starter at present, with the PA boycotting the Trump Administration..."