Posted on 10/24/2007 10:40:15 AM PDT by BGHater
'Unprecedented amount' part of effort to strengthen Abbas in battle against Hamas for public opinion. Finance Minister Bar-On: International community must aid PA economic recovery
The American government is planning to transfer $410 million to the Palestinian Authority in an effort to strengthen its president, Mahmoud Abbas and prime minister, Salam Fayyad, Ynet reported Wednesday.
The Bush administration has come to Abbas' aid in the struggle against Hamas for public support, and is seeking to prove to the Palestinian people that choosing the path of peace pays off.
The Palestinians received smaller sums in recent years from the US, and these were transferred mainly to specific projects, not directly to the Palestinian Authority treasury, as the Europeans tended to do.
Sources in the US government stress that the aid marks an unprecedented effort aimed at saving the PA led by Abbas. The US is thereby swerving from its traditional handovers and is handing over a sum approaching half a billion dollars.
Half of the American aid will be directed at infrastructures, $35 million will be transferred to the Food and Employment Bureau of the United Nations Refugees Works Agency (UNRWA). The remainder of the money will be combined with the PA's continuous budget.
Finance minister in Washington
A special aid clause has been added due to the request for an additional $46 million for the budget, after the US Congress already approved an addition of $150 million to fund the war in Iraq and Afghanistan, and other security plans.
This is the largest aid program ever given to the Palestinians by the US. In Washington, sources say the aid underlines the high importance attached by the Bush administration to the need to support Abbas and Fayyad and their efforts to reach tangible goals on the ground for the Palestinian public.
Finance Minister Ronnie Bar-On, who is on an official visit in Washington, said during a meeting in the American capital that the international community must aid the Palestinian economic recovery.
Bar-On met Tuesday with the heads of foreign affairs and budgets committees in the House of Representatives, and with the chairman of Homeland Security in the Senate, Senator Joe Lieberman.
The meetings focused on US security aid to Israel, the peace process, and economic relations between Israel and the Palestinians.
What the hell is the matter with Bush? Sending our money to terrorists! Is he trying to build his legacy as a real nice tolerant guy?
I thought Bush was going to go after those that aid and abet terrorists?
He should go after himself and Ms Rice.
and most other PA muckety-muck's ships have just come in..
..Swiss bank accounts are already in place, awaiting arrival of funds.
“Swiss bank accounts are already in place, awaiting arrival of funds.” ...
is our gov’t just STUPID or do they get a cut? inquiring minds need to know.
Oh, and also remind me again about that old definition of "insanity"?
High volume. Articles on Israel can also be found by clicking on the Topic or Keyword Israel, WOT
..................
I just love paying taxes.
So now that taxpayer money is going to fund terrorism, will the government coffers be frozen by DHS?
Chump change. 410 Mil will only get you a bronze-level legacy these days. Now bump that up to a cool 2 or 3 Bil and I’m certain a platinum legacy with a free set of Ginzu knives could be had.
Time’s a wastin...
Bushbot response:
"This is a program started by Clinton and President Bush has no choice but the give the 410 million to the PA. It is Clinton's fault!"
BOTH belong in the docket.
“What the hell is the matter with Bush?”
Like Clinton, he’s using our money to buy himself a legacy in the last year of his term.
At least Clinton can claim his failure didn’t have a precedent he should have learned from.
Dumbest move we’ve made this year as a nation.
recall the huge amounts sent by Team Albright-Clinton to Arafat which he transferred to his personal Swiss accounts.
He is hoping the terrorists will kill him last.
It is said that Arafat siphoned off almost a billion dollars for his personal fortune. The ONE thing you can count on with the Palis is that they will steal moat of the money and use the rest to buy weapons to kill anyone who gets in their way.
$410 million to the PA terrorist, $500 million to the Mexican Drug Cartel, where does it stop?
WTF
ping
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.