US withholds $65m from UN agency for Palestinian refugees

WASHINGTON - The United States has informed a UN body in charge of aiding Palestinian refugees that the nation will withhold $65 million in a bid to push for the agency's "reform", the US State Department has said.

The US had delivered a letter earlier on Tuesday to the UN Relief Works Agency for Palestinian refugees in the Near East to inform it of the decision, US State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert told a news conference on Tuesday.

The money being frozen would be held for future consideration, rather than being canceled, she said.