Bush withholds Palestinian Authority funding, reassesses attitude to Arafat

The Jerusalem Report ^ | 2/1/02 | Eric Silver

[veronica]

The United States, bitterly disenchanted with Yasser Arafat, is withholding hundreds of millions of dollars in aid to the Palestinian Authority.

After the Wye agreement in October 1998, the Clinton Administration earmarked about $1.2 billion for Israel and $500 million for the PA. Most of the money for the Palestinians has never been delivered; neither has $30 million designated for Palestinian NGOs.

Indeed, the Bush Administration is now understood to be reassessing its overall policy on Arafat. While still pressing the PA chairman in late January to block intifada violence, it has effectively suspended the mediation efforts of former general Anthony Zinni.

According to Israeli diplomats, the Americans have interpreted the thwarted gunrunning bid of the Karine A arms ship as a clear sign that the PA was planning to escalate the intifada into a Hizballah-style war of attrition.

Congress, which has to endorse aid appropriations, is understood to be even angrier with Arafat — and that will make it hard for the Administration if it tries to renew the PLO's diplomatic status, which comes up for legislative review in April. Israeli diplomats suspect that only fear of creating a vacuum is inhibiting the White House from canceling that status on its own initiative.

A senior American official recently told one of his Palestinian counterparts that Arafat had made the biggest mistake in the history of the Palestinian national movement when he rejected Ehud Barak's offer at Camp David in July 2000.

And the Bush team argues that no previous administration has been as forthcoming as it has in backing Palestinian statehood, spelling out its vision of a final-status agreement and dispatching mediators.

[lsee]

withholding hundreds of millions of dollars in aid to the Palestinian Authority

ABOUT TIME!

[veronica]

FYI.

[veronica]

Bump.

[umgud]

Good move on W's part. I have another idea. Land for peace didn't work, so how about a land for terror program where for every terror event, the Palis loose a chunk of land. They will run out of land long before they run out of terrorists.

[Carbonsteel]

Why did the previous administration plan on giving the PLO half a billion dollars in the first place???? To help finance further terrorism????????????

[Catspaw]

But what I want is this money being taken away from the Pals permanently, not used as a carrot & a stick manuever. Of course, given Yasser's activities, I doubt if he'd find many supporters in Congress willing to appropriate a dime to him.

[mmmmmmmm....... donuts]

my gut says, 'good news.' my brain says, 'not so fast.' the power of bush's prior pali strategy was that europe marched behind it. bush led, and europe followed even though they didn't like it so much. in the last few weeks bush got too far ahead of europe, and now europe has rebelled and is moving fast away from the u.s. position.

in football terms you would say he's outkicked his coverage, and now the palestnian return man--arafat--has room to maneuver. so maybe bush will get credit for the longer punt, but arafat will end up in better field position, than if bush had gone for a shorter punt and arafat had to fair catch.

[modern_orthodox]

I'm not sure I agree with you completely, mainly because America is the only 3rd patry both sides will sit down with. The EU can yell and scream all it wants (and man, does it ever), but they wil never be able to sit down at a table with Israel and the Palestinians and work out a deal because Israel is well aware of their bias. If America pulls away from Arafat, it really means no deal, or really no negotiation, is going to happen until he's dead.

[Dog Gone]

I didn't realize that PA diplomatic status was something that had to be renewed by Congress in April. That's very interesting.

I can't imagine that Congress would renew it, unless Bush forcefully came out in favor of that. Right now, that seems unlikely. Since Zinni can't make any progress with Arafat, there isn't much point in giving Arafat diplomatic status.

Bush has to do something. He can't simply abdicate this important foreign policy question to Congress without comment. And I'm sure he won't.

However, Bush probably doesn't want to simply abandon any hope of future peace terms by creating a vacuum in which there is no Palestinian to negotiate with.

I wouldn't be surprised if there were some back channel contacts with key Palestinians going on right now. This is going to be interesting to watch, and there is a deadline. April isn't that far off.

[Catspaw]

I am curious why all are insisting that the US be the mediator and negotiator between Israel and the Palestinians when most in the Arab world think the US identifies with Israel? Isn't there a built-in bias from the Palestinians and other Arabs against the US when it comes to all things Israel? If so, how can they trust the US to negotiate and mediate a fair settlement if they don't think the US is fair in the first place?

[truthandlife]

AMEN!!!

[Nix 2]

Would YOU give these people money?

Palestinian demonstrators burn a defaced portrait of President Bush to protest U.S. air strikes against Iraq.

[Cachelot]

Give'm money???? I'd give'm dead kats. There's a 101 things you can do with dead kats, you know.

[vrwc54]

Or this:

[Jimmyclyde]

These guys look great in there black burkas.

[Jimmyclyde]

When did the KKK start attending anti-american flag burning rallies?

[Cachelot]

All this goes to show that these critters aren't safe around matches. Wonder if they buy matches with US aid money? Wonder if they're outfitting with larger matches from US aid money?

[Nix 2]

One picture is worth?

PRICELESS!