This blog is considerably thinned (word limit) and does not show just how deeply Trump dealt with the Palestine situation before the 2020 election year.

As if to boast in a call to mark the Jewish New Year, President Trump told American Jewish leaders: “I stopped massive amounts of money that we were paying to the Palestinians.” He told the Palestinians, “We’re not paying until you make a deal.” On the face of it such an approach may seem like a typical Trump negotiating tactic, but the decision is so misguided that in addition to having dire immediate consequences, it will haunt the United States for years to come

Through President Trump's announcement, during his term in office, that his administration would no longer fund UNRWA, America has further written itself out of the process of peacemaking in the Middle East, argues Hady Amr. Trump has sent an unmistakable message to the Palestinian people: He callously disregards their most basic needs. This post is adapted from a piece originally published on The Hill.

Hady Amr is an American government official serving as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Israeli and Palestinian Affairs in the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs within the U.S. Department of State. He was appointed to the role under President Joe Biden on Jan. 20, 2021. He was born in Lebanon, and has close ties to the region, being praised by both Israeli and Palestinian leaders alike.

As if to boast, in a call to mark the Jewish New Year,
Trump was referring to the State Department’s abrupt announcement (during his term) that his administration would no longer fund the United Nations relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), reversing a policy of support by every American president—Republican and Democrat—since it was created about 70 years ago as a cornerstone of America’s support for stability in the Middle East

‘Fox News, Aug 24, 2018—“US cuts aid to Palestinians by more than $200 million.” President Trump had decided to move the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and the world awaited announcement of the much-heralded but “as-yet unclear peace plan” of Jared Kuschner (Trump Advisor and son-in-law) between Israel and Palestine . . .

. . . Meanwhile, the Trump State Department notified congress of the decision to make the spending cut in a brief three-paragraph notice sent first to lawmakers and then to reporters. It stated that the administration would direct the money to (unspecified) “high-priority projects elsewhere.”

“The Palestine Liberation Organization quickly denounced the decision, calling it ‘the use of cheap blackmail as a political tool. The Palestinian people and leadership will not be intimidated and will not succumb to coercion."

"The rights of the Palestinian people are not for sale," PLO Executive Committee member Hanan Ashrawi said in a statement. "There is no glory in constantly bullying and punishing a people under occupation. The U.S. administration has already demonstrated meanness of spirit in its collusion with the Israeli occupation and its theft of land and resources; now it is exercising economic meanness by punishing the Palestinian victims of this occupation.” The story continues . . .

There seems no end of similar past stories. For instance the National Post, Feb. 1, 2019: “Trump administration cuts all aid to Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and Gaza “ with a sub-head that reads: “Also ended is about $60 million in U.S. aid for the Palestinian security forces. whose cooperation with Israel forces helps keep relative quiet in the West Bank.”

Reuters, Sept. 8, 2018: Trump cuts $25 million in aid for Palestinians in East Jerusalem hospitals . . . U.S. President Donald Trump has ordered that $25 million earmarked for the care of Palestinians in East Jerusalem hospitals be directed elsewhere as part of a review of aid, a State Department official said

This story called the aid cut just the latest in a number of actions by the Trump administration that had alienated the Palestinians, including the recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and moving the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv. “That move reversed longtime U.S. policy and led Palestinian leadership to boycott Washington peace efforts led by Jared Kushner, Trump’s senior adviser.”

New York Post, Aug. 31, 2018: Trump cuts funding for UN Palestinian refugee agency. This news story begins “Team Trump plans to cut nearly $300 million that helps Palestinian refugees, ending decades of US support. The State Department announced that the US “will no longer commit further funding to this irredeemably flawed operation.“

There are plenty of stories to be had.