USAID assistance in the West Bank and Gaza has ceased
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The US Agency for International Development (USAID) has ceased all assistance to Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza, a US official said on Friday.
The decision was linked to a January 31 deadline set by new US legislation under which foreign aid recipients would be more exposed to anti-terrorism lawsuits.
The deadline also sees the end of about $60 million in US aid for the Palestinian security forces, whose cooperation with Israeli forces helps maintain relative quiet in the West Bank.
Congress' Anti-Terrorism Clarification Act (ATCA) empowers Americans to sue foreign aid recipients in US courts over alleged complicity in "acts of war".
The Palestinian Authority declined further US funding over worries about its potential legal exposure, although it denies Israeli accusations that it encourages terror attacks.
