Trump Threatens To Cut Aid To Palestine Amid Rising Tensions

In a pair of tweets published Tuesday evening, President Trump suggested that the United States stop providing aid to Palestine. 

In 2016, the US gave nearly $712 million of aid to Palestinians, according to The Times of Israel.

The tweets stoke already heightened tensions between the US and Palestinians when President Trump announced in December that the US would recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. The move drew outrage among Palestinians and most of the global community that considers East Jerusalem an occupied territory of the Palestinean state. 

On December 21st, The UN General Assembly voted overwhelmingly to condemn the decision.

The move had an immediate effect on US-Palestinean relations, with Palestine temporarily withdrawing its US envoy, and saying it would "no longer accept" a peace deal from Trump, according to Al Jazeera.

Israel has reacted in the opposite fashion, celebrating the decision and promising to name the train station next to the Western Wall after Trump.

During his 2016 campaign, Trump promised to move the US embassy in Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, while also promising to broker "the ultimate deal" in the Israel-Palestine conflict. 

Trump notably asked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to "hold back" on the construction of settlements in the West Bank during a press conference in February, signaling hope for those seeking a two-state solution.