GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — The US State Department has announced plans to cut $200 million in aid for Palestinians this year. These funds are to be redirected to high-priority projects elsewhere, the State Department said, giving no further explanation.

A senior State Department official told Reuters Aug. 24, “We have undertaken a review of US assistance to the Palestinian Authority (PA) and in the West Bank and Gaza to ensure these funds are spent in accordance with US national interests and provide value to the US taxpayer.”

He added, “As a result of that review, at the direction of the president, we will redirect more than $200 million in [fiscal year] 2017 Economic Support Funds originally planned for programs in the West Bank and Gaza.”

The United States had approved in its 2017 budget, which ended Sept. 30, financial grants to Palestinians worth $359.3 million. Most of the US aid is directed through international and US institutions, such as the UN Development Program (UNDP) and the US Agency for International Development (USAID), to finance projects for good governance, health, education and civil society. A small part of the aid goes to support Palestinian security services in the West Bank.