Is it possible that President Barack Obama's signing of a presidential determination Jan. 27, 2009, resulted in direct support going to people aboard vessels in the Gaza-bound flotilla that has stirred up so much controversy in recent days? I think it is.
According to this Feb. 4, 2009, entry in the Federal Register, President Obama cited section 2(c)(1) of the Refugee Assistance Act of 1962 and determined the following via Presidential Determination No. 2009-15:
"...that it is important to the national interest to furnish assistance under the Act in an amount not to exceed $20.3 million from the United States Emergency Refugee and Migration Assistance Fund for the purpose of meeting unexpected and urgent refugee and migration needs, including by contributions to international, governmental, and nongovernmental organizations and payment of administrative expenses of Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration of the Department of State, related to humanitarian needs of Palestinian refugees and conflict victims in Gaza."
Barely two weeks later, the folks at FactCheck.org were asked if Obama paid for Hamas-affiliated terrorists to emigrate to the United States. In turn, they offered this response:
This claim is false. The president’s memorandum to the State Department would pay for refugee assistance in Gaza, not for transporting anyone to the U.S.
If none of the $20.3 million went to help Palestinians migrate to the U.S., then I must ask the question, "Where did the money go?"
According to a Department of State news release Jan. 30, 2009, the money was distributed as follows:
Of the $20.3 million in new ERMA funds, $13.5 million will go to the U.N. Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), $6 million to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), and $800,000 to the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). These organizations are distributing emergency food assistance, providing medical assistance and temporary shelter, creating temporary employment, and restoring access to electricity and potable water to the people of Gaza.
While I have no opinion to offer regarding the ICRC's ability and/or willingness to keep money out of the hands of Hamas-affiliated terrorists, I'm skeptical about the integrity of the U.N. agencies.
When I combine the organization's fraudulent track record of the hapless and crooked U.N. with its recent condemnation of Israel for its actions related to the flotilla, I'm left skeptical that any U.N. agencies can be trusted to keep money out of the hands of the terrorists.
In short, I won't be surprised if ironclad evidence surfaces soon to prove, once and for all, that HOPE FLOATS.