The United States has quietly frozen its aid to the Palestinian Authority (PA) pending review, invoking the Taylor Force Act, passed in March. Under this act, US assistance to the West Bank and Gaza “that directly benefits the PA” is suspended unless the Secretary of State certifies that the Palestinian Authority has met certain conditions largely related to combating and defunding terrorism. In addition, the US Agency for International Development (USAID) has not received a budget for the upcoming fiscal year, thus suspending their aid programs as well, some of which are focused on Palestinian development. More >