US attacks international law with UN funding cuts: Maliki

CAIRO: Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki said on Tuesday US President Donald Trump’s decision to halt funding to UN Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA was an attack on international law.

The US decision has left UNRWA seeking a shortfall of $200 million from Gulf and European states and has further strained tensions between the Trump administration and Palestinian leadership.

Ties with Washington have sharply deteriorated since Trump last year decided to recognise al-Quds as Israel’s capital, reversing decades of US policy and prompting Arab warnings that it could fuel crises in the region.

The international community, with exceptions including Israel, criticised the move. "The US administration has begun to attack the rights of the Palestinian people and international law," Maliki said at a meeting of the Arab League in Cairo convened to discuss the issue.

Internationally-brokered peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians have stalled since 2014 and Israeli settlements in the occupied territories have steadily expanded.

Palestinian leaders say their political situation has deteriorated since Trump took office in 2017 as Washington has pursued policies that favour the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who is a close US ally. Netanyahu has broadly welcomed Trump’s support. Washington said last month it halted all funding to UNRWA.