The Trump administration is planning to change unilaterally the definition of a Palestinian refugee and slash the number it recognises by nine tenths in its latest attempt to “break and remake” the Middle East.

President Trump and Jared Kushner, his son-in-law and Middle East adviser, are believed to have decided that all but 500,000 of the 5.5 million Palestinian refugees should be stripped of their status. The proposal, to be announced next month, will be part of a new strategy that will also involve reductions in the large amounts of money the US gives to the Palestinian territories.

In January Mr Trump cut aid to the UN agency responsible for the Palestinians, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA).

The strategy is also expected