PA asks Washington to halt aid to security services

By Aysar al-Iss

RAMALLAH, Palestine

The Palestinian Authority (PA) has asked the U.S. administration to halt aid allocations to the Palestinian security apparatus, according to a Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) official.

“The Palestinian leadership has requested that the U.S. administration stop all its assistance to the Palestinian security services," Wasel Abu Yusuf, a member of the PLO’s Executive Committee, said in a statement.

Abu Yusuf attributed the request to “fears of being prosecuted under new anti-terrorism legislation passed last year by the U.S. Congress”.

Signed into law last October, the Anti-Terrorism Clarification Act (ATCA) allows U.S. citizens to sue countries that receive U.S. foreign aid -- in U.S. courts -- for alleged involvement in acts of terrorism.

Abu Yusuf described the PA’s request as a “step in the right direction”.

“We don’t want the annual $60 million [in U.S. aid] for our security services because the ATCA could allow us to be sued for billions of dollars,” he said.

Abu Yusuf went on to point out that the U.S. had already halted aid allocations to the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA).

Last year, U.S. President Donald Trump cut all annual U.S. funding for UNRWA.

Before that, the U.S. had been the agency’s largest contributor by far, providing it with $350 million each year -- roughly a quarter of its overall budget.