Gaza Attack on U.S. Convoy May Harm Aid

JERUSALEM —  U.S. officials are pressing Palestinian authorities to find those responsible for a deadly bomb attack on a U.S. diplomatic convoy in October, and have warned that lack of progress may harm American aid programs in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, a Palestinian Cabinet minister said Saturday.

A senior Palestinian security official involved in the investigation said no substantial leads had emerged.

A U.S. Embassy official, however, said, “We’re not entirely satisfied with Palestinian cooperation” in the probe of the Oct. 15 blast that killed three American security guards in Gaza. U.S. officials have been forbidden to travel to the West Bank and Gaza since then.

Palestinian Cabinet Minister Saeb Erekat said he discussed the investigation last week with U.S. officials who told him lack of progress would hamper aid work, though they did not directly threaten to cut assistance.

“They said they can’t get to Gaza and the West Bank, and this would affect their work,” Erekat said.

“I urged them not to link these two issues,” he said, adding that he believes the Palestinians are cooperating fully.

The embassy official refused to comment on whether aid would be scaled back. Erekat said one project in jeopardy is a U.S. Agency for International Development project to improve access to running water for 2 million Palestinians. USAID is to award the contract next month.