Palestinian minister says US ‘attacking international law’ with UN funding cuts

Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki said on Tuesday the U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to halt funding to U.N. Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA was an attack on international law.

“The U.S. administration has begun to attack the Palestinian people and international law,” Malki said at a meeting of the Arab League in Cairo convened to discuss the issue.

Washington said last month it halted all funding to a UNRWA and Trump last week ordered that $25 million earmarked for the care of Palestinians in East Jerusalem hospitals be directed elsewhere as part of a review of aid.

UNRWA is seeking to make up a $200 million shortfall caused by the U.S. aid cutoff, and said it will target additional funding from Gulf states and European partners.

Washington’s decision has further heightened tensions between the Palestinian leadership and the Trump administration, which in December recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, a move criticized by the international community.