Palestinian Authority Cuts U.S. Scholarships to Palestinian Students
The American University of Beirut promised to try to find alternate funding for its Palestinian students denied their U.S. scholarships. (flickr)
Following the passage of the Antiterrorism Clarification Act, which allows U.S. citizens to sue perpetrators of terrorism who belonged to an organization that received U.S. funding, the Palestinian Authority (PA) decided to deny Palestinian students access to U.S.-sponsored scholarships. The decision went into effect on January 31.
Many of those who are currently studying abroad under U.S. funding may have to return home without completing their studies if they are unable to find outside financial support. Palestinian students have expressed their despair at this situation; a Palestinian student studying in the U.S. who has found himself without funding described his home, Gaza, as a “cemetery for dreams.”
The PA aims to avoid lawsuits from U.S. citizens. According to the Antiterrorism Clarification Act, American survivors of terrorism can now sue terrorists of foreign nationality if the entities the terrorists were associated with received any U.S. funding. In fear of lawsuits from those impacted by the Palestinian Liberation Organization terrorist attacks during the 1970s and 1980s, the PA cut all U.S. scholarships to Palestinian students.
Most of the affected students are studying in the American University of Beirut, the Lebanese American University, and the American University of Cairo. As of now, representatives from the American University of Beirut has stated that they would try to find alternative funding to cover the students’ tuition, totaling at least $1.2 million. The other two schools have yet to make any promises.
Many Palestinian students have been facing obstacles to accessing and completing their higher education, having to discontinue their studies for financial and political reasons. In the spring of 2018, only two-thirds of the student body at the Islamic University of Gaza were financially able to resume their studies. Moreover, for those who successfully graduate, it is very difficult to find a job in Palestine; unemployment has nearly reached 50 percent in Gaza and 29 percent in the West Bank.
In a further blow to Palestinians, the United States canceled its $200 million aid program for development in Gaza that was conducted by the U.S. Agency for International Development back in August of 2018. In the same month, the U.S. also cut off its funding of the UN Relief and Works Agency, which offers education, healthcare, and social services to as many as 5 million Palestinian refugees.