Gaza _ Palestine News Network
Saudi Arabia on Wednesday offered 50 million dollars to UNRWA, despite Washington´s suspension of aid.
The general supervisor of King Salman Center for Relief and Humanitarian action Abdullah al-Rabeeah announced at a press conference in Riyadh with UNRWA Commissioner-General Pierre Krähenbühl to provide the money to the agency in crisis financing.
Krähenbühl announced in Jordan last week that his agency had reduced its budget deficit for 2018 from 446 million dollars to only 21 million, despite the suspension of Washington´s aid.
UNRWA relied on a budget of 1.2 billion dollars for 2018 but faced a gap of 446 million dollars when the Trump administration announced it would cut off its aid.
Washington announced last summer the cancellation of some $300 million in aid earmarked for Palestinians, particularly for programmes in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Washington initially lowered the start of the year from its contribution to UNRWA, providing only $60 million compared to 370 million dollars in 2017.
