§2378c Limitation on Assistance for the West Bank and Gaza

Summary

Aid to nongovernmental organizations for the West Bank and Gaza may only be given when a certification under section 2378b(b) for the Palestinian Authority is in effect. There are four exceptions: help for basic needs like food, water, medicine, health, or sanitation; support for democracy, human rights, press freedom, non-violence, reconciliation, and peaceful coexistence so long as it does not directly benefit Hamas or any other foreign terrorist organization; aid (but not salaries) to individual Palestinian Legislative Council members who the President says are not members of Hamas or another foreign terrorist organization so they can attend programs on democratic governance and the peace process; and any other kind of aid if the President decides it is in the national security interest and, at least 30 days before funds are obligated, consults the appropriate congressional committees and sends them a written memo of that decision. Aid must be labeled as coming from the American people or the U.S. Government unless the Secretary of State or the USAID Administrator finds labeling would endanger people or hurt the program. No assistance may be provided until 15 days after the President notifies the House and Senate committees under the reprogramming rules in section 2394–1(a). “Appropriate congressional committees” means the House Committee on International Relations and House Appropriations, and the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations and Senate Appropriations. “Foreign terrorist organization” means an organization the Secretary of State has designated under section 1189(a) of title 8.