After US cuts, Palestinian refugee agency seeks donations

JERUSALEM – The U.N. agency that serves Palestinian refugees and their descendants says it is launching a global fund-raising appeal in hopes of making up for funding cuts announced by the United States.

The Trump administration on Tuesday suspended $65 million for UNRWA, demanding it undertake a "fundamental re-examination."

The U.S. provides roughly one-third of UNRWA's budget, and the agency has warned that it now faces the "most dramatic financial crisis" in its nearly 70-year history. The agency provides health care, education and social services to 5 million Palestinians across the Middle East.

UNRWA's secretary-general, Pierre Krähenbühl, said Wednesday the fund-raising appeal would begin in the coming days. The agency said it is too soon to say which countries will be approached to fill the void or what services are at risk.