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Under orders from the Trump administration, #USAID is preparing to lay off most of its #Palestinian aid workers in its West Bank & Gaza mission, according to U.S. government communications reviewed by @NPR. 1/
It's the latest step toward shrinking a decades-long aid mission to build the capacity for a future Palestinian state. USAID told NPR it has "begun to take steps to reduce our staffing footprint” since Palestinian aid projects ended this year. 2/
The decision to dismiss the aid workers raises questions about how the Trump administration can implement the Israeli-Palestinian peace plan it vows to soon unveil — with an emphasis on major investments in the Palestinian economy, potentially funded by Gulf Arab states. 3/
"It's a huge mistake," said former US Ambassador to Israel @DanielBShapiro. "Even if you get big checks from the Gulf States, you will want development experts to help steer where that money goes. We won't have our own team of experts available. None of this makes any sense." 4/
USAID is aiming to reduce its local staff of about 100 employees to only 14. Most of the employees to be laid off are Palestinians or Arab citizens of Israel; others are Jewish Israelis. Next month, USAID is expected to notify employees they'll lose their jobs in July. 5/
For years, USAID's Palestinian staff often faced personal risk during armed conflict or threats from Palestinian groups for working with the U.S. When staff faced such threats, US officials evacuated some of them from Gaza, said former USAID local mission head @Dave_Harden. 6/
A former Palestinian development officer at USAID choked up as he spoke: "I'm emotional about this. We meant to change people's lives.“ Current @USAIDWBG staff say they were told not to speak with media. 7/
Also: Senate Democrats are calling to restore Palestinian humanitarian aid which Congress appropriated but the Trump admin froze. According to US government communications I reviewed, the Trump admin is not planning to renew aid for the fiscal year.
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