Rice says Hamas to blame for Gaza conditions, pledges $555 million for Palestinian cause

AP ^ | Dec. 16, 2007 | Staff

[jdm]

PARIS (AP) - As the U.S. pledges more than half a billion dollars in aid to the Palestinians, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is making clear she considers Hamas to blame for the deteriorating conditions in the Gaza Strip.

The U.S. is giving $555 million to Palestinians next year, including 150 million to the moderate-led Palestinian government in the West Bank. No money will be given to the rival Hamas leadership in Gaza, which seized control of the seaside territory in June.

The U.S. says it is stepping up food and medical aid to Gaza, which has been choked off by Israel and Egypt. Border restrictions by the two countries are preventing some medical supplies and all but basic food and no-frills goods from getting in.

A six-month Israel blockade has wiped out tens of thousands of jobs and three-quarters of Gazans now live in poverty. Rice, who's attending a meeting of donors in Paris, says Hamas' policies have led to its isolation.

[TomGuy]

Rice has been such a disappointment IMO.

Yeh.

As someone else posted in another thread earlier today: What happened to all posts of the Condi-for-President?

[Dr.Zoidberg]

What a waste, that's $555 million tax dollars that could be thrown at social engineering schemes right here in the good old U.S.A.

And each dollar handed to a welfare family here would have a better chance of solving the palestinian problem than each million handed to a pali over there.

Some days I think everyone in washington is a fool. Other days, I know it for a fact...

[TomGuy]

We would rather give them 500MM so they can buy weapons and shoot at us and Israel.

Buy???

Last year, IIRC, there were several threads of the Bush Admin trying to force Israelis to provide the Palis with weapons/munitions.

[Iron Munro]

[rineaux]

Well since we bought the last batch of weapons for the Iraqi Army from China (AK47’s) I figured Abbas would want to buy the same weapons using the open contract we have with China.

Our troops will have to duck from the bullets our Government bought for Abbas, Fatah and Hamas with our troops and our tax dollars.

This article has to be a lampoon, because We, as a country, would never do anything this crazy.

[taxesareforever]

Here, terrorists, have some gun and rocket money. Sheeesh.

[Justeggsactly]

Hopefully, this won’t be approved by our democrat majority house and democrat majority senate.

[rockrr]

The Dhimmi’s appear to have nothing on the Bush administration when it comes to giving away our hard earned money...

[UCFRoadWarrior]

I guess now the Bush War on Terror is now the “War For Terrorists”

I guess we shouldnt be surprised w an administration that locks up our Border Patrol and gives illegal alien drug dealers a pass

Eventually the Bush Admin was gonna help the terrorists

[Texas Eagle]

You mean to tell me that up till now nobody ever thunk to give hundreds of millions of dollars to The Palestinians???

Unbelievable. If only we'd've done that sooner.

[Rockitz]

I forgot who said it, but Rice has gone native at State. I hope she’s put out to pasture in the next GOP administration.

[martinidon]

I just don’t understand why we can’t tell these country’s no more money $$$$ until they get their people and stuff in order!

[montag813]

According to the Bush Doctrine, we must now declare war on ourselves.

[montag813]

Rice has been such a disappointment IMO.

With this announcement, she enters into a tie with Madeline Albright in the "Worst Secretary of State Ever" contest, with a little over a year to go. My money's on Condi to take the crown.

[Alouette]

FReepMail to be added or removed from this pro-Israel/Judaic/Russian Jewry ping list.

Warning! This is a high-volume ping list.

[SevenofNine]

This is got be stupidest move on Bush adminisation EVER

[Slings and Arrows]

Why not just bomb Israel with $555 million worth of ordnance and eliminate the middleman?

[Cinnamon Girl]

STOP WASTING OUR MONEY! STOP WASTING OUR MONEY! STOP WASTING OUR MONEY! STOP WASTING OUR MONEY! STOP WASTING OUR MONEY! STOP WASTING OUR MONEY! STOP WASTING OUR MONEY! STOP WASTING OUR MONEY! STOP WASTING OUR MONEY! STOP WASTING OUR MONEY! STOP WASTING OUR MONEY! STOP WASTING OUR MONEY! STOP WASTING OUR MONEY! STOP WASTING OUR MONEY! STOP WASTING OUR MONEY! STOP WASTING OUR MONEY!

[American in Israel]

Add that to the 500 Million Euros last month and you can see some very powerful people want Israel dead. A Billion bucks in a strip of land 30 miles long and 5 miles wide can buy a hell of a lot of weapons. That is about a a couple of thousand bucks for every man woman and child in the area. On top of the regular half a billion we give them a stinking year.

They get paid about a hundred thousand dollars for every jew they kill now. Who says murder does not pay.

[American in Israel]

That is how Arafat got his $Billions that he hoarded away -- by bilking the US...

He made most of his billions in the drug trade when he controlled Lebanon. The money he took for "peace" was just icing on the cake.