The U.S. has reportedly frozen aid to the Palestinian Authority as part of the Taylor Force Act, amid ongoing Middle East peace talks.
Israeli-based I24NEWS wrote on Monday that the aid was suspended at the end of May, two months after the act requiring the PA to stop financing terrorists and their families was passed by Congress. Citing White House officials, it also reported that some Palestinian programs have been put on hold because the West Bank and Gaza office of USAID have not received a budget for the coming year.
According to a Palestinian official, the U.S. told the Palestinian Authority earlier this year that it was re-examining its aid budget. The aid will remain suspended until the Secretary of State confirms that the Palestinian Authority has met the necessary conditions, including taking “credible steps” to end Palestinian terrorism, and “publicly condemning” and investigating such acts of violence.
A Senate Foreign Relations Committee aide told i24NEWS, “Our understanding is that U.S. funding to the West Bank and Gaza is on hold pending an administration review.”
A spokesperson for the U.S. Embassy also said that assistance to the Palestinians remains under review at President Donald Trump’s direction.
“While the Taylor Force Act restricts aid to the Palestinian Authority, with very limited exceptions, the Palestinian Authority has the ability to ease those restrictions by ending the abhorrent policy of inciting violence against Americans and Israelis through payments to terrorists and their families,” the spokesperson said.
The head of the PLO General Delegation to the U.S., Dr. Husam Zomlot, neither confirmed nor denied the report, stressing that if Washington decides to suspend funding to the PA it would damage American interests in the region and its vision of a two-state solution.
“If the U.S. freezes its funding it means its freezing its vision,” Zomlot pointed out, calling any decision to freeze funding “very regrettable” and “very harmful and damaging to the U.S.’s interests and its allies’ [interests].”
Shortly before that, White House senior adviser Jared Kushner said the administration’s plan to broker peace between Israel and Palestine will go forward regardless of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ participation.
“The global community is getting frustrated with Palestinian leadership and not seeing many actions that are constructive toward achieving peace,” he said. “If President Abbas is willing to come back to the table, we are ready to engage. If he is not, we will likely air the plan publicly.”
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