U.S. Congress to vote on bill outlawing funding for Hamas

www.haaretzdaily.com ^ | 12:54 06/05/2006 | Shmuel Rosner

[Esther Ruth]

Last update - 12:54 06/05/2006

U.S. Congress to vote on bill outlawing funding for Hamas

By Shmuel Rosner, Haaretz Correspondent, and Haaretz Correspondent

The U.S. Congress on Tuesday will be presented with a bill aimed at prohibiting direct American funding of the Hamas-led Palestinian Authority.

A bipartisan effort headed by Republican Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, with the support of Democrat Tom Lantos, managed to raise the required 290 co-sponsors to bring the bill before Congress.

Ros-Lehtinen said Friday that she was pleased the bill had won the support of her colleagues.

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"If adopted," Ros-Lehtinen said, "it will quickly move through the Senate and will be sent swiftly to the president's desk to ensure that the United States will not support or hold diplomatic relations with a government committed to the destruction of Israel and the practice of terrorism."

Meanwhile, Condoleezza Rice said the U.S. would allow humanitarian aid to be channeled to the PA through the office of Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, MK Avital Colette (Labor) told Haaretz after a joint meeting with the Secretary of State in Washington on Friday.

In the past week, U.S. Rep. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) and Rep. Tom Lantos (D-Calif.) introduced new legislation to tie future U.S. assistance to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East to an "independent, internationally recognized expenditure audit, thereby ensuring U.S. taxpayer money is properly spent and does not go to support terrorist organizations like Hamas."

The Senate version of the bill has about 80 co-sponsors, but a date for voting has not yet been announced.

[Esther Ruth]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1627568/posts
U.S. to allow PA funds to be channeled through Abbas office
www.haaretzdaily.com ^ | 22:58 05/05/2006 | Akiva Eldar

Last update - 22:58 05/05/2006

U.S. to allow PA funds to be channeled through Abbas office

By Akiva Eldar, Haaretz Correspondent, and Agencies

Condoleezza Rice said the U.S. would allow humanitarian aid to be channeled to the Palestinian Authority through the office of Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, MK Avital Colette (Labor) told Haaretz after a joint meeting with the Secretary of State in Washington on Friday.

Avital, who is in Washington on behalf of a women's rights organization, said Rice told her the aid will be used to fund Palestinian education and health programs.

According to the Labor MK, Rice notified Abbas of the decision in a phone conversation and will tell the other Quartet members of the decision in a Tuesday meeting with UN Secretary General Kofi Annan.

[PhilipFreneau]

The Israeli's are such bullies. See how they hog all the land?

[aynrandfreak]

Can we start a pool on how what percentage of the Congressional Black Caucus votes "present"?

[FlyVet]

Will be interesting to see who votes against this.