US Vice President Mike Pence headed for Egypt yesterday to begin a Middle East trip overshadowed by anger in the Arab world over Washington's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital.
Pence had been due to travel to the region in December but controversy over President Donald Trump's decision to move the American embassy in Israel to Jerusalem saw many planned meetings cancelled.
While the deadly protests that erupted in the Palestinian territories at the time have subsided, concerns are mounting over the future of the UN aid agency for Palestinians (UNRWA).
Washington has frozen tens of millions of dollars of funding for the cash-strapped body, putting at risk operations to feed, teach and heal hundreds of thousands of Palestinian refugees.
The Palestinian leadership, already furious over the Jerusalem decision, has denounced the US administration and had already refused to meet Pence in December.
But the vice president's press secretary, Alyssa Farah, said he would still meet the leaders of Egypt, Jordan and Israel on the high-stakes four-day tour.
