President Trump Threatens To End Aid To Palestine

WASHINGTON, DC — President Trump threatened to cut off U.S. aid to Palestinians Tuesday night on Twitter, citing the stalled peace process in the region.

Trump had bemoaned the billions of dollars of aid sent to Pakistan in a tweet on Monday.

"It's not only Pakistan that we pay billions of dollars to for nothing, but also many other countries, and others," he wrote Tuesday. "As an example, we pay the Palestinians HUNDRED OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS a year and get no appreciation or respect."

He continued: "They don’t even want to negotiate a long overdue... ...peace treaty with Israel. We have taken Jerusalem, the toughest part of the negotiation, off the table, but Israel, for that, would have had to pay more. But with the Palestinians no longer willing to talk peace, why should we make any of these massive future payments to them?"

In 2012, PRI reported that Palestine has received a total of about $4 billion in U.S. aid in the post-war era, compared to Israel's $115 billion received in U.S. aid. While much of the American spending in Israel supports the country's military, U.S. aid to Palestine largely supports the region's economy and social services, PRI reported.

Trump previously referred to peace between Israel and Palestine as "the ultimate deal." He tasked his son-in-law and top aide Jared Kushner with leading the effort in the region.

Last month, Trump said that the U.S. will begin officially recognizing Jerusalem, the much-contested holy city for many Israelis and Palestinians, as the capital of Israel. Many observers were critical of this move, saying at the time it would destroy any good will with the Palestinians.

The president called the move "overdue" and in the best interests of the United States. He said recognition acknowledged the "obvious" that Jerusalem is the seat of Israel's government despite its disputed status and continued centrality to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

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