Now Trump's Shutdown Threatens Israel’s Security
JERUSALEM — For over a decade the strongest pillar of stability in the volatile Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been the close cooperation between the Israeli military and the Palestinian Authority's security forces, who work together to maintain order and keep terrorists in check on the West Bank. Now these Palestinian forces— primarily American trained, equipped and funded — look like they may be the latest casualties of the Trump government shutdown
U.S. legislation passed by Congress last year and set to go into effect at the end of the month will effectively end all remaining aid to the Palestinian Authority (PA), including to the security forces. It will also cut the funding for a small American mission in Jerusalem, headed by a U.S. three star general, that helps coordinate ties between the Palestinian forces and the Israeli military.
Potential amendments to the law that would allow this aid to continue are on hold due to the shutdown, two sources familiar with the issue told The Daily Beast. The atmosphere of confrontation and crisis in Washington is such, that orders of business like fixing bad legislation slip to the wayside.