UNRWA says nothing official so far on US aid halt

AMMAN — UNRWA said Sunday it has not received any official notification from Washington about the US government's alleged decision to freeze its funding for the UN agency that provides aid to Palestinian refugees. 

In a statement to The Jordan Times on Sunday, UNRWA Spokesperson Sami Mshasha said that the relief agency, "only through the media", learned that the US administration has frozen its funding for the agency.

"We emphasise here that we have received no official notification from the US administration about any decision concerning the freezing of the US funding for UNRWA," Sami said.

In a report on Friday, later denied by a State Department official, the Axios news site said Washington had frozen $125 million in funding for UNRWA.

Axios’ report came a few days after US President Donald Trump threatened to withhold future aid payments to Palestinians. Axios said the funding was frozen until the US government finishes its review of aid to the Palestinian Authority.

Last Tuesday, Trump said he would withhold money from the Palestinians, accusing them of being "no longer willing to talk peace" with Israel.

"We pay HUNDRED OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS a year and get no appreciation or respect. They don't even want to negotiate a long overdue peace treaty with Israel ... with the Palestinians no longer willing to talk peace, why should we make any of these massive future payments to them?" Trump said on Twitter.

Axios claimed that the sum, a third of the annual US donation to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, was supposed to be delivered by January 1, citing three unidentified Western diplomats.

Reuters quoted unnamed State Department official as saying that, “[Axios] story is very misleading. Just because they were expecting the money on the first, and they did not get it at that time, does not mean it was suspended or cancelled. 

“Deliberations are ongoing, and we have until mid-January to make a final decision.” Asked if any preliminary decision had been made, the official replied: “No. And reports to that effect are false.” 

The US is the largest donor to the relief agency, with a pledge of around $370 million as of 2016, according to UNRWA’s website.