The Palestinian Authority has, at the request of the United States, returned US$30 million in aid to the United States, a senior US official said on Thursday.
David Welch, assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern affairs, told lawmakers that the US$30 million, which had been earmarked for infrastructure work, was returned on Wednesday as well as another tranche of US$76,000 in aid.
For now, Washington is waiting for a further US$20 million to be reimbursed by the Palestinian Authority, US officials said.
The US State Department said in mid-February that it has asked the Palestinian Authority to return US$50 million in unspent aid to prevent the money from going to a Palestinian government led by the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) that does not recognize Israel.
The United States, which considers Hamas as a terrorist organization, has threatened to curtail funding if Hamas does not commit itself to non-violence and recognize the Jewish state's right to exist.