United States suspends assistance to Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza at the request of the Palestinian Authority, agency reports | World



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The suspension was requested by the Palestinian Authority, which no longer wanted to obtain funding from the United States, fearing to be exposed to an anti-terrorism law (see below) . But the organization denies Israeli accusations of encouraging militant attacks.

The measure also put an end to sending about $ 60 million worth of US aid to Palestinian security forces, whose cooperation with Israeli forces contributes to the maintenance of peacekeeping forces. relative peace in the West Bank.

The decision is linked to the 31 January deadline set by new US legislation. The law determines that recipients of foreign badistance will be more subject to civil antiterrorist actions – and the Palestinian Authority feared to be exposed to this new legal provision.

The Anti-Terrorism Law Clarifying Act (ATCA) allows Americans to treat foreign badistance recipients in US courts for alleged complicity in "acts of war".

"At the request of the Palestinian Authority, we have reduced some of the projects and programs funded with badistance provided by the ATCA authorities in the West Bank and Gaza," a US official told Reuters on Friday.

"All USAID badistance in the West Bank and Gaza has ceased."

USAID will continue to apply grants for the administration and the He added that Israel's conflict mitigation with Jewish and Arab participants was important.

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