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The Trump administration's freeze of U.S. foreign aid could not have come at a more precarious time for the Middle East. The U.S. Agency for International Development had been one of the biggest funders of aid projects for Palestinians to encourage stability, to encourage peace. Now projects in the Middle East are under a stop work order and face an uncertain future. NPR's Daniel Estrin explains what this looks like in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
DANIEL ESTRIN, BYLINE: We walk down a wet and muddy road in the Palestinian city of Halhul. It's a mountain town in the West Bank's southern area.
The road is dug up, and underneath, we see a tiny water pipe. What are you guys doing here?
ASAM ABU MESHAN: (Speaking Arabic).
ESTRIN: The town's water maintenance man, Asam Abu Meshan (ph), says they're fixing a burst water pipe. It happens every couple of days. USAID had been trying to fix that. Now the world's biggest humanitarian aid organization is effectively shut down. The Trump administration says foreign aid is not aligned with American interests, and it's reevaluating the aid worldwide.
MOHAMMED SPITAN: (Speaking Arabic).
ESTRIN: Palestinian engineer Mohammed Spitan (ph) says he was working with USAID on a $46 million project, smart technology to find leaks and fix the water system. It's a parched area. The old pipes struggle to deliver water high up in the hills. Sometimes residents go months without running water. He says USAID wasn't just paying to fix it.
SPITAN: (Speaking Arabic).
ESTRIN: He says USAID provided American contractors with top expertise in infrastructure construction. They can't be replaced easily. Wherever you drive in Palestinian cities, you see billboards marking USAID road and water projects from over the years. It's been a decadeslong U.S. mission to build the capacity for the Palestinians to have their own independent state.
So here's a sign - it's written on marble - USAID installation of water pipes, funded by the American people.
SPITAN: 2012.
JIHAD ABU ASABA: (Speaking Arabic).
ESTRIN: We met the mayor of the town, Jihad Abu Asaba (ph). He says these USAID projects employed a lot of Palestinians. Cutting funding will mean jobs lost in an economy that has suffered since the deadly Hamas attack on Israel in 2023 led to restrictions on Palestinians in the West Bank.
ABU ASABA: (Speaking Arabic).
ESTRIN: The mayor says this will drive instability and worsen the already dire economic situation that the Palestinian people have been facing since October 7, 2023. A Palestinian official who requested anonymity because they're not authorized to speak publicly tells NPR the U.S. has also frozen aid to the Palestinian security forces, which have worked with Israel to patrol the West Bank. USAID has also helped fund humanitarian aid in Gaza amid war. The State Department says it will continue lifesaving aid for Gaza.
In President Trump's first term, Congress passed a law allocating a quarter of $1 billion over five years for projects bringing Palestinians and Israelis together. Those funds are also frozen now for projects like the Jerusalem Youth Chorus for Palestinians and Israelis. Project Rozana brought Palestinian nurses to Israeli hospitals to learn new skills. Ken Bob from Project Rozana says that's on hold now.
KEN BOB: We were just about to launch a training program in February for representatives from all the Palestinian hospitals to deal with diabetes. And everyone was very excited about coming and really training in Israel for a couple of days. And, of course, we had to cancel it.
ESTRIN: He says it comes at the worst time, after a devastating war, when trust between Israelis and Palestinians is at rock bottom.
BOB: People in the healthcare profession are traditionally very well-respected in their communities. And to have them be voices of common sense and understanding really can help build the sense of trust between Israelis and Palestinians that is so deficient right now.
SPITAN: (Speaking Arabic).
ESTRIN: Driving around the West Bank, Palestinian water engineer Mohammed Spitan took us up steep hills to see the water infrastructure the U.S. has helped build over the years. But he keeps making quick U-turns. Producer Nuha Musleh asks, is the Israeli military here?
NUHA MUSLEH, BYLINE: (Speaking Arabic).
SPITAN: (Speaking Arabic).
MUSLEH: Oh. Behind us, there is settlement and a military post.
ESTRIN: He didn't want to risk driving too close to Israeli settlements and military outposts, a reminder of one of the only exceptions to the Trump administration's foreign aid freeze around the world. The State Department says U.S. military financing for Israel continues.
Daniel Estrin, NPR News, Halhul in the West Bank.
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