05 Aug 2021; MEMO: The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) said yesterday it would resume its activities in the occupied Palestinian territories after a three-year hiatus, Anadolu reported.
USAID suspended its work in the occupied territories following a request by former US President Donald Trump, who stopped all forms of assistance to the Palestinians.
Director of the Palestinian Water Authority, Mazen Ghoneim, spoke to Dana Mansouri, director of the USAID office in Palestine, in Ramallah yesterday. The authority later reported: "USAID will resume all of its activities in Palestine and will work in this direction to provide support to vital and humanitarian projects, as an urgent necessity."
Ghoneim welcomed the resumption of the US' activities in Palestine, affirming that "USAID is one of our main international partners in the water sector."
"Despite the implementation of a large number of vital water supply and sanitation projects in Palestine in previous years, the hydraulic sector still requires unwavering support."
The American agency has provided funding for projects in Palestine since the 1990s, mainly to develop infrastructure, with a contribution of about $300 million per year.
