In a bid to return to the Palestinians to peace talks, the US is considering declaring its opposition to the UN’s definition of Palestinian refugees, Channel 2 reports.
Unlike displaced people from other countries, the descendants of Palestinian refugees also receive refugee status. Israel has long railed against this, saying the vast majority of Palestinian refugees weren’t born in what is now Israel and shouldn’t be allowed to move to Israel under a peace deal with the Palestinians.
Channel 2 reports that as a part of this threat, the US would also end all aid to UNRWA, the UN’s refugee agency for Palestinian refugees, and instead transfer it to other UN agencies that deal with Palestinians.
Ties between the US and the Palestinians hit a nadir following Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, with PA President Abbas saying the US was no longer an honest broker in peace talks. Trump said last week the entirety of US aid to the Palestinians could be frozen if the Palestinians don’t return to negotiations.
Palestinian schoolgirls pose for a group picture outside their classrooms at a school belonging to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in Gaza City on January 22, 2018, during a visit by the UNRWA Commissioner General. / AFP PHOTO / MAHMUD HAMS
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