BEIRUT — When Daniela Massou answered her phone Jan. 22, she was instructed to come to a meeting the following day at the Lebanese American University (LAU). Massou is one of 29 students from the West Bank and Gaza enrolled at LAU or the American University of Beirut (AUB) thanks to Tomorrow’s Leaders, a scholarship program of the US-Middle East Partnership Initiative. The scholarships, primarily funded by the US State Department, cover tuition and living expenses for promising young leaders from across the Middle East. On Jan. 23, Massou was informed that the scholarships had been terminated for Palestinians.

“All [13] of us in the meeting were crying when we heard the news,” Massou, a 17-year-old from Bethlehem, told Al-Monitor at a Beirut cafe. “One of the students finally asked why this was happening, and we were told that it’s because of the US Anti-Terrorism Clarification Act.”

The US Congress passed the Anti-Terrorism Clarification Act on Oct. 3, 2018, to allow American victims of terrorism to sue their attackers if the perpetrators belonged to a foreign entity that receives US funding. The Palestinian Authority (PA) responded Jan. 20 by forgoing all US aid, to avoid costly lawsuits for acts of political violence and terrorism that the Palestine Liberation Organization committed in the 1970s and 1980s. The act took effect Jan. 31, and the assistance the PA relinquished covered the scholarship program.

AUB quickly pledged to secure $1.2 million to ensure that the 16 Palestinian students enrolled there through the program would be able to complete their courses and graduate. The university is soliciting donations and exploring other sources of revenue to cover the deficit. LAU has made no promises, but representatives say it is working hard to finance the 13 Palestinian students beyond the spring of this year. If the money is not found, Massou and her peers will be sent home without having completed their studies.