[Al Arabiya Latest] The United States announced Friday it was providing an additional $55 million to a U.N. program aiding Palestinian refugees. Assistant Secretary of State Eric Schwartz said the funds would go through the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA).The United States, UNRWA's largest donor, will give $30 million to UNRWA's general fund, which provides services to Palestinian refugees across the region, and $25 million to its emergency appeal for the West Bank and Gaza. This will bring total U.S. contributions to UNRWA thus far in fiscal year 2010 to $95 million. In 2009, the United States provided $267 million to the agency.
The cash-strapped UNRWA provides assistance to about 4.7 million Palestinian refugees, many of whom have settled in camps in Jordan, Syria and Lebanon.