The United States has completely frozen its civil assistance to the Palestinian Authority, Israeli TV station i24 revealed on Monday.
This step came two months after the decision of the US Congress to oblige the PA to stop paying salaries for Palestinian prisoners inside Israeli jails and the families of Palestinians killed by Israel.
IT'S OFFICIAL. US says no more money to the Palestinians.
The Trump administration has frozen financial assistance to the Palestinian Authority. The move comes in response to beleaguered PA leader's staunch refusal to negotiate the secretive 'Deal of the Century' with Israel.
— The Daily Opinion (@NEWSandOPS) June 26, 2018
According to the report, Washington has four conditions to be fulfilled before such assistance can be resumed: stopping payments to prisoners and families of Palestinians killed by Israel; canceling laws that guarantee to pay these salaries; taking “credible” measures to fight “terror”; and condemning “Palestinian terror and violence.”
A member of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee confirmed that “the US budget for the West Bank and Gaza is suspended until it is reviewed.”
EXCLUSIVE: #US freezes #Palestinian aid budget https://t.co/LXDda7zt9r
— Robozob (@robozob) June 26, 2018
In addition, USAID in the West Bank and Gaza has not received its budget for the year, and so is unable to submit bids for its projects. A number of projects run by international aid agencies working in the Palestinian territories will be suspended due to the freeze of US funding.
An official from the HALO Trust, which carries out landmine clearance, also said that it has stopped its work because the US suspended its budget in March.
Trump signed the Tylor Force Act on Friday, cutting funding to the Palestinian Authority (PA) if it continues to pay the salaries of prisoners, freed prisoners and the families of those killed by Israel, Arab48 reported. https://t.co/7f2XGAdYxX
— Aoude (@AoudeA) March 26, 2018
One PA official pointed out:
“The Trump administration told the PA in the middle of January that it had started to review the budget for assistance to the Palestinians.”
The US has been the largest financial supporter of the PA. The US Department of State had asked the Treasury for around $215m a year for Palestinian projects in 2018 and 2019.
(MEMO, PC, Social Media)
