However ineffectual international institutions have proved, the US, like Israel, still prefers to be without them altogether<\/p>\n
Washington\u2019s decision to intensify swingeing aid cuts to the Palestinians \u2013 the latest targets include cancer patients and peace groups \u2013 reveals more than a simple determination to strong-arm the Palestinian leadership to the negotiating table.<\/p>\n
Under cover of a supposed peace effort, or \u201cdeal of the century\u201d, the Trump administration hopes to solve problems closer to home. It wants finally to shake off the burden of international humanitarian law, and the potential for war crimes trials, that have overshadowed US actions in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya and Syria \u2013 and may yet prove treacherous in dealings with Iran.<\/p>\n
The Palestinians have been thrust into the centre of this battle for good reason. They are the most troublesome legacy of a post-war, rules-based international order that the US is now committed to sweeping away. Amputate the Palestinian cause, an injustice festering for more than seven decades, and America\u2019s hand will be freer elsewhere. Might will again be right.<\/p>\n
An assault on the already fragile international order as it relates to the Palestinians began in earnest last month. The US stopped all aid to UNRWA, the United Nations refugee agency that helps more than five million Palestinians languishing in camps across the Middle East.<\/p>\n
The pressure sharpened last week when $25m in aid was blocked to hospitals in East…<\/p>\n<\/div>\n