Following is a synopsis of an ongoing discussion among members of the Palestinian NGO community pertaining to the "Anti-Terrorism Certificate" required by USAID from all recipients of its funds.

The United States of America is now threatening Palestinian health and relief organizations to cut their funding if they continue to refuse to sign what the US calls: ‘Certification Regarding Terrorist Financing.’

The certificate reads: “As a condition of entering into the referenced agreement, [name of organization] hereby certifies that it has not provided and will not provide material support or resources to any individual or entity that it knows, or has reason to know, is an individual or entity that advocates, plans, sponsors, engages in, or has engaged in terrorist activity, including but not limited to the individuals and entities listed in the Annex to Executive Order 13224 and other such individuals and entities that may be later designated by the United States under any of the following authorities: § 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act, as amended (8 U.S.C. § 1189), the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. § 1701 et seq.), the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. § 1601 et seq.), or § 212(a)(3)(B) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, as amended by the USA Patriot Act of 2001, Pub. L. 107-56 (October 26, 2001)(8 U.S.C. §1182).”

The content of the text is harmless and in sync with Palestinian values and way of life, but as Palestinians investigated the acts and resolutions listed above it became obvious that the USA has placed Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO), member organizations as part of this list. The United States and Israel have both recognized the PLO as the Sole Representative of the Palestinian People. This came as part of the DOP, Declaration of Principles, signed in Washington in which PLO recognized Israel’s right to live on land grabbed in 1948 originally belonging to Palestinian families, while the US and Israel agreed to remove PLO from any terrorist or such lists.

The Palestinian NGO network investigated the ‘US Department of the Treasury Office and Foreign Assets Control’ documents and found that PFLP, a member organization in the PLO, has been placed on the list regardless of its secularism and democratic structure and values. The PFLP was placed on this list following its claim of responsibility for the assassination of Rehavam Ze'evi, an extremist Israeli minister, who advocated the transfer of Palestinians. The PFLP declared that this was in retaliation for the assassination of PFLP Secretary General Abu Ali Mustafa.

The PFLP, unlike Hammas and Jihad, have roots which date back to the days the Palestinian revolution for liberation and freedom was still in Jordan. The PFLP is a vital and active member of the Palestinian civil society excelling in institution building. Responsible for many civil society organizations and institutions which promote health care, the arts, democratic values, accountability and integrity, the PFLP should be empowered as part of the secular democratic movement within Palestine.

When threatening the Palestinians the US should realize that they are weakening the democratic forces and empowering the Islamic extremists, who never took money from USAID and will not be affected by the certificate or its signatories. Therefore, this certificate is viewed as an occupation tool which is offering to fragment the Palestinian fragile social order while weakening health care and relief organizations that are already battered by Israeli military occupation targeting and affecting every aspect of Palestinian life.

Palestinians have negotiated and raised these valid concerns with representatives from the USAID who, unfortunately, are following their leader’s simplistic logic that defines and generalizes people in to two categories: Good and Evil.

Today, the Palestinian NGO network has taken a stance in order to reserve unity and empower the democratic union within Palestine, which is not only resisting and combating military occupation, but is also combating the extremism which is slowly rising as a result of the hard conditions imposed by Israel’s military machine.

Stuck between a rock and a hard a place, the Palestinians are standing with unity and will not give in to monetary pressure exerted by Israel and the USA. The US is already viewed as a strong ally of Israel, not interested in justice for all, but in reserving Israel’s occupation and cruelty. This decision, which will affect relief and health services in the Palestinian territories, will only make the street reaffirm their belief that the USA is not and never can be a fair broker of peace in the Middle East.