US aid to Palestinian security services to end Friday

US aid to the Palestinian security services will end this week at the Palestinians' request, an official in the West Bank said Wednesday, to preempt lawsuits over alleged support for terrorism. The Palestinian Authority has demanded the funding stop at the end of January for fear it could expose the PA to costly lawsuits under the US Anti-Terrorism Clarification Act (ATCA), which comes into force on February 1. "The money will be cut off," senior Palestinian official Saeb Erekat told AFP in the West Bank city of Ramallah.