Gaza: Palestinians in the Gaza strip who live under Israel's blockade couldn't care less about the US Congress response of stopping aid to Palestinians.
The Congress has blocked nearly $200 million (Dh734.6 million) in aid to the Palestinians in response to President Mahmoud Abbas' application for full UN membership, a British newspaper reported on Saturday.
Palestinians, especially those living in Gaza, are not surprised, however.
Mohammad Khalil, 34, said: "The US administration was giving us the aid in order to sell our land and political views. I believe this is a punishment for Abbas for seeking UN membership.
"However," Khalil added, "we are already living in poverty and unemployment and don't even have our own state, so it won't be worse than it already is."
USAID has already begun to wind down aid operations in the West Bank and Gaza, and Western aid sources fear the agency may have to shut down all humanitarian work as well as distribution of budgetary support to the Palestinian Authority by January.
The decision was strongly condemned by the Palestinian National Authority. The aid cut threatens projects such as food aid, health care, and support for efforts to build a functioning state, it said.
Dr Faisal Abu Shahla, a Fatah parliament member, said: "This is shameful behaviour from a country like the United States in punishing the Palestinian people in such a way for asking for their rights of having their own country."
No surprise
Dr Abu Shahla added: "But this behaviour wasn't surprising from the Congress, which applauded a rather ridiculous speech by Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier this year."
The aid, which was destined for projects related to food aid, health care, and state building efforts, was to have been transferred to the Palestinian Authority during the US fiscal year that ends today, according to the report.
There have been demands in Congress throughout the year to withhold funding and decrease the number of employees working with USAID in the Palestinian territories in order to pressure Abbas to abandon his UN membership bid.
