By Umar Farooq
WASHINGTON (AA) - The United States has stopped all aid towards Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and Gaza, as a part of an anti-terrorism legislation passed last year.
A State Department official confirmed the decision to Anadolu Agency, saying that the assistance was ceased following a specification in the Anti-Terrorism Clarification Act (ATCA) of 2018, which had been passed by Congress and signed into law by U.S. President Donald Trump in October.
The ATCA allows American citizens to sue foreign aid recipients who have been involved in what the law describes as "acts of war". Following the passage of the legislation, the Palestinian Authority requested to stop receiving any more funding from the U.S.
"At the request of the Palestinian Authority, the United States ceased providing any assistance under the authorities specified in ATCA, in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and Jordan," the official told Anadolu Agency.
In 2018, the U.S. cut hundreds of millions of dollars of assistance and aid to Palestinians, much of which was used for humanitarian projects, however stopped just short of aid for security purposes.
The U.S. ordered the closure of the Palestine Liberation Organization's (PLO) Washington diplomatic mission in September, Palestine's de facto embassy in the American capital.