“Haaretz” newspaper confirmed that the Israeli security establishment is concerned about the expected cessation of the US Agency for International Development (USAID) activity.
According to “Donia Al-Watan” website, in addition to the large cuts in the UNRWA's budget, the closure of the United States Agency for International Development may lead to a deterioration of the humanitarian situation in Gaza. Senior Israeli officials say that Israel is vulnerable to the security and economic costs of this situation.
In fact, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is one of the largest and most important humanitarian organizations in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.
Last week, the State Department told the agency that it would separate lay off half of its 180 workers in the coming weeks. In addition, the US administration is expected to announce at the beginning of 2019 the closure of the subsidiary that helps the Palestinians.
The agency, responsible for the US civilian foreign aid, the West Bank and Gaza has been operating since 1994 and is expected to close after the Trump government's decision to freeze the US aid budget to the Palestinians. This year, the United States was supposed to send around $ 250 million to the Palestinians, including through the US Agency, and $ 215 million of this budget is earmarked for economic development, humanitarian assistance and coexistence initiatives.
Because of Trump's policy, the agency was forced to stop the projects it promoted, and according to involved source, the US ambassador in Israel, David Friedman, showed no interest in the organization and its needs, and avoided meetings with the agency on joint projects.
#The United States plans #to lay off half# of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) workers
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