Assistance to Palestinians ceased by USAID

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has ceased all its assistance to Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and the Gaza Strip, a U.S. official said Friday.

"At the request of the Palestinian Authority, we have wound down certain projects and programs funded with assistance under the authorities specified in ATCA in the West Bank and Gaza," the official said, referring to U.S. legislation called the Anti-Terrorism Clarification Act.

" All USAID assistance in the West Bank and Gaza has ceased," the official said in a statement to Reuters, adding that they were not currently taking steps to close the USAID mission. (Reporting by Stephen Farrell)