Our House of Representatives is infected with a frightening brew of intolerance, xenophobia, religious fundamentalism, and stupidity. But this takes the cake:
But last week when the House approved $200 million of the aid, it attached enough strings to strangle those good intentions. President Bush had requested that the first $200 million go directly to the Palestinian Authority…(b)ut in what one Palestinian advocate correctly called a “vote of no confidence” in Mr. Abbas, the House stipulated that no money could go to the Palestinian Authority. It approved $150 million, to be channeled instead through American aid agencies, nongovernmental organizations and philanthropic groups.
Adding insult to injury, the House then gave $50 million to Israel to build terminals for people at checkpoints surrounding Palestinian areas. House lawmakers directed an additional $2 million to Hadassah, the Women’s Zionist Organization of America. So a quarter of Congress’s Palestinian aid disbursement so far is actually going to Israel.
NYT Editorial Staff
Let me recap. The House has refused to give any aid directly to the Palestinian Authority. Instead, they have taken $50 million dollars of Palestinian aid funds, and diverted it to Israel so they can build better checkpoints. I won’t even comment on the decision to divert two million to a Zionist-American group.
The Senate needs to correct this insult. And when someone asks why ‘they’ hate America, just tell them to look at this markup, and show them a picture of Denny Hastert and Tom DeLay.
Update [2005-5-9 9:6:29 by BooMan]:Danielle Pletka, a vice president of the American Enterprise Institute, had testified before Congress that the Palestinians were not ready to absorb a huge infusion of aid. While it would be nice to give diplomatic support to Abbas, she said yesterday, Congress has a “fiduciary obligation not to throw money down a toilet.”
Al-Jazeera
a ‘toilet’ is just another example of the hatred underlying these people’s thinking.
Congress has a “fiduciary obligation not to throw money down a toilet.” Unless of course, that toilet is named Iraq, inwhich case we just throw tons of money down the hole with no accountability for how it’s being spent.
So now we have a lovely case of providing the oppressors of the Palestinians with extra funding to continue their oppression with more checkpoints. And we wonder why there are so many suicide bombers there?
I guess the congress thinks that they are spreading freedom and democracy. Disgusting.
I personally do NOT think of the any of the middle eastern countries as toilets.
Or unless the toilet is Halliburton or Boeing or Zionism or creationism or “homeland security” or protecting us from gay marriage or criminal warmongering or (insert your choice of pretty much everything Congress does).
the “intelligence” services.
Damn hypocracy of the House. They throw nearly 3 billion a year at Israel and at least 300 million finds its way to the illegal settlements. Yet our illuminated House of Repugugliness just nods and smiles and says Oh Israel is a staunch ally of the US. Lets see in the last 20 yrs, 5 major spying scandals involving Israel spying on the US. At least 20 deaths the most serious an air attack against a US ship in the Med. and Israel is our ally. mmmmmmmmmmmm I believe Israel has the right exist, I don’t believe that Israel has the right to use Nazi tactics against the Palistinians…… And if GW the talking head Bush was so inflamed that Saddam was in direct violation of 8 UN resolutions, then we should by all means invade Israel, they are in direct violation of at least 25 UN resolutions and some are just as serious as those against Iraq. AND They possess WMD’s including Nukes. Israel has one of the worst human rights records concerning its occupation of many Arab territories. I can only hope that more moderate heads will take over the leadership of Israel soon.
Israel also sells advanced weaponry to China, which is what the EU is now being vilified for just thinking about allowing. And unlike in the French/German case, many of the designs in question were originally US ones.
Now, I’m not suggesting that ‘the Jews are running D.C.,’ or anything like that. But surely a visitor from Mars could be excused for wondering who’s a client state of whom?
From where I stand, it appears that the Israeli’s have and continue to set policy for much of America’s foreign policy concerning the Middle East. I for one am sick of it. I have watched billions of dollars go to Israel over the last 35 yrs and it sickens me that we are so blatantly one sided on this issue. The Israeli government continues to foster an attitude that because of what happened 60 yrs ago, we can do anything we want to anyone we want and if you so much as hint that we are doing anything wrong, we will label you Anti-Semitic. Tough, I am neither pro arab or anti israel. I find it discouraging that our foreign policy toward the middle east is disproportionaly slanted to the Israeli’s and their illegal occupation and building of illegal settlements in the occupied territories. Grow up Israel, yes your culture and race were attacked and nearly destroyed, guess what so was mine and I don’t run to washington crying everytime some disparages Native Americans. Like the majority in washington really cares about Native peoples. lol……. I digress, Israel needs some moderate heads to prevail and begin a true dialogue with the Palestinians to end their disputes and nurture societies that protect and care for their peoples.
If the US treated Israel with just a tiny fraction of the bullying it tries to inflict on everybody else, we might even have a shot a peace in the Middle East and a genuine blow against worldwide terrorism. But that’s obviously not an acceptable goal of either “party” in America.
It’s time Israel either pays back for the US cash bonanza it receives or start learning to do without it.
Maybe I’m reading too much into this, but is this possibly a case of good cop/bad cop? Bush proposes direct funding knowing it will not get approved that way and he repairs his image to a certain extent in that part of the world. Just a thought.
AIPAC has kept both houses of Congress even more Likudnik than most Likukniks! But this way, Bush and/or Rice get to make nice with Abbas in public, while still not delivering any real support behind the scenes.
Two other issues that are never discussed in the American media: one, Israel owes the PA a huge amount of money from taxes collected in the Occupied Territories; two, virtually all the funding for everything from police stations to feeding children in refugee camps has come from the European Union — and they’re loath to donate more money, knowing that all the facilities they’ve built over the years have been destroyed by the Israeli Defense Forces.
And people wonder why so many Palestinians are suicidal/homicidal. That’s what living without any hope will do to you.
~ Earlier posted on other thread ~
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PNA’s consultant Edward G. Abington described this a “huge slap in the face” to President Mahmoud Abbas ahead of his upcoming visit to the United States. An excellent tactic by Israel, Sharon, and the US regime to undermine any legitimacy for PNA President Abbas.
Instead of $200 million for the PNA, as President Bush had requested, the Congress measure earmarks $150 million for Palestinians, to be channeled through US aid agencies, non-government organizations and philanthropic group.
Another $50 million would go to Israel for construction of a crossing facility enabling Palestinians to get from the Gaza Strip to the West Bank and to build terminals for people and goods at Israeli military checkpoints surrounding occupied Palestinian areas.
Abbas and Sharon declared a truce to end more than four years of bloodshed on Feb. 8 at the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheik. Abbas persuaded militant Palestinian groups to honour the ceasefire.
Israel pledged to hand over five West Bank towns to Palestinian control and free 900 prisoners. However, Israel stopped the process after two towns and 500 prisoners, charging that the Palestinians were not fulfilling their obligations – stopping all violence and disarming militants in towns under their control.
Sharm El-Sheik Summit – Interview June 2003
USAID a Christian movement for Democracy in EURASIA ahead of US Armed Forces?
Oui – Liberté – Egalité – Fraternité
I agree, as it stands now they can have their cake and eat it too, while the rest of the region around Israel lives in for the most part abject poverty.
Much of Israel itself has plunged into abject poverty, although there’s always plenty of money for the settlers, who’ve made out, coincidentally enough, like bandits.
You have to wonder about a so-called Zionist movement that has plenty of money to build more brutal checkpoints for Palestinians but not enough to feed hungry Jewish children.