The United States will keep providing financial assistance to the Palestinian Authority (PA) despite the PA's new UN status, US State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said on Friday, RIA Novosti reported.
"We will... continue to try to support the Palestinian Authority because this money supports their ability to administer the territories, provide security and take care of the needs of the Palestinian people, who we continue to believe need our support, need the international community's support," Nuland said.
The UN General Assembly recognized on Thursday the PA as a non-member observer state by a more than two-thirds majority. Israel and the United States were among nine UN members that voted against the move.
Nuland recalled that the US is withholding $495 million of planned assistance to Palestinians in 2012, with $200 million of the sum in direct budget support, $195 million in economic support funds for programs and projects, and $100 million in international narcotics control and law enforcement funds.