Australia ends direct aid to Palestinian Authority

CANBERRA, Australia — Australia has ended direct aid to the Palestinian Authority because it says its donations could increase the self-governing body’s capacity to pay Palestinians convicted of politically motivated violence.

Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said Monday that funding to a World Bank’s trust fund was cut after she wrote to the Palestinian Authority in late May seeking assurance that Australian funding was not being misspent.

She said in a statement she’s concerned that providing further funds allows the authority to use its own budget to spend on activities that “Australia would never support.”

Australia’s 10 million Australian dollar ($7.4 million) donation to the trust fund would now be re-routed to the United Nations’ Humanitarian Fund for the Palestinian Territories, which provides vulnerable Palestinians with health care, food, water, improved sanitation and shelter. /ee