Dawud Aisha
US President Donald Trump, who in December 2016 said the embassy move would not affect the outcome of negotiations, later boasted that he single-handedly “took Jerusalem off the table.”
The UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), established in 1950, was the next target for Trump, who cut all funding to the agency from the US, its biggest donor.
But by the end of the year, the shortfall had been almost entirely filled by increased Gulf and EU contributions.
“We are on a path to overcoming the greatest financial predicament ever in the history of this agency,” said UNRWA Commissioner Pierre Krahenbuhl.
The US ended other humanitarian support to the Palestinians, including to hospitals in Jerusalem providing cancer treatment to children. The move was seen as revenge for Palestinian officials boycotting the US government.
Najeeb Qaddoumi, a member of the Palestinian National Council, told Arab News that the US is “an Israeli partner” and no longer “pretending to be an honest broker.”
He added: “The Palestinians and Jordanians are on the same page in terms of opposition to the (US) moves in Jerusalem, and when (Saudi) King Salman declared support for UNRWA, he dealt the American plan regarding Jerusalem and refugees a strong blow.”
While Palestinians blame the US for their predicament, some acknowledge mistakes by their own leadership.
However, Trump and his cabinet learnt a bitter lesson, for the US can't always have all matters (negotiations or policies) go their own way.