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U.S. Funding for Palestinian Security Services Ends
(Jerusalem Post) Tovah Lazaroff, Khaled Abu Toameh and Michael Wilner - The U.S. funding and training program for the PA's security services ended at midnight on Thursday, as diplomats and politicians scrambled to find a way to mitigate the impact on West Bank stability. A PA official said Thursday, "I don't believe this will impact the security coordination [with Israel] in the short term, but who knows what will happen in the coming weeks and months." PLO secretary-general Saeb Erekat said in Ramallah on Thursday that the halting of U.S. funds will not affect the work of the security forces this year. One congressional aide working on the matter told the Post, "There's a widespread acknowledgment that it is not in anyone's interest to see security cooperation end - it's a question of how to proceed." IDF Lt.-Col. (res.) Alon Eviatar, former adviser on Palestinian affairs to the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories, said that at first glance, he did not believe the loss of U.S. funding would be that significant. He believed that alternative funding could be found from donor countries, such as Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. The bulk of U.S. funding had gone to training, and day-to-day activities were less likely to be affected, he said. The Palestinian security services will still be able to carry out their essential duties and operate against Hamas in the West Bank.