Israel, US officials work to ensure continued funding for PA forces

Israeli officials are currently “working with the Trump administration to maintain funding for Palestinian security forces”, reported JTA.

The efforts occur in the context of the Anti-Terrorism Clarification Act, which becomes law in the United States on 1 February.

The law makes the Palestinian Authority (PA) and Palestine Liberation Organisation vulnerable to lawsuits that hold them responsible for acts of Palestinian violence, as long as they accept US aid. Thus, in response, the PA has said it has no choice but to decline $60 million in aid.

“We support the administration’s efforts to maintain security cooperation with the Palestinians, on the other hand, while not affecting families of terrorist victims,” an Israeli official told JTA.

Pro-Israel organisations in the US also backed these efforts.

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“US support for Israeli-Palestinian security cooperation, critical in combating terror, may be halted as an unintended consequence of the new anti-terror law,” the American Jewish Committee said.

“AJC urges the administration and Congress to find a solution that maintains support while honouring the law’s objective.”

As noted by JTA, “the Trump administration and separate laws passed in Congress last year have already slashed hundreds of millions of dollars in aid to the Palestinians.”