"U.S. Will No Longer Fund Peace-Building Programs for Palestinians"

https://www.npr.org/2018/09/15/648222130/u-s-will-no-longer-fund-peace-building-programs-for-palestinians
Isa Chudzik

This article written by Daniel Estrin covers the Trump administration's decision to stop funding "peace-building" programs for both Palestinians and Israelis as well as past decisions (like recognizing Jerusalem as Isreal's capital) that contribute to this controversial decision today.

The reason why this decision itself is controversial is because the programs that will hurt from this includes an "...interfaith youth program and a project for children with disabilities" (Estrin). While the administration justifies this decision as a way to put pressure on Palestinian officials to work with them on a peace deal. Critics point out that this hurts vulnerable groups, and Senator Patrick Leahy was quoted suggesting that this will just drive people apart even more.