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Bush withholds Palestinian Authority funding, reassesses attitude to Arafat
The Jerusalem Report ^ | 2/1/02 | Eric Silver

Posted on 02/01/2002 4:18:44 AM PST by 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.


TOPICS: Extended News; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: arafat; bush; clinton; plo; wye; wyeagreement
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To: vrwc54
It looks like they need our money to set up black ski mask consessions and to develop a more flammable US flag.
21 posted on 02/01/2002 7:04:04 AM PST by Catspaw
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To: mmmmmmmm....... donuts
What happens to the game if the quarterback takes the ball and goes home? ;)
22 posted on 02/01/2002 7:04:13 AM PST by CathyRyan
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To: Nix 2
Isn't that a great picture of President Bush beside the Israeli flag!
23 posted on 02/01/2002 7:04:53 AM PST by Catspaw
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To: modern_orthodox
i'm not saying the EU will impose its vision on israel. not hardly. but the EU does have an impact on the violence that arafat lets out on israel. when the eu is pressuring arafat, there's definitely less. now they're back to defending the guy.
24 posted on 02/01/2002 7:09:46 AM PST by mmmmmmmm....... donuts
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To: CathyRyan
Then you're allowed to hit the QB out of bounds.
25 posted on 02/01/2002 7:11:28 AM PST by mmmmmmmm....... donuts
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To: Catspaw
So if the US is too biased for the Palis, and the EU is too biased for Israel, then who's left? Russia?
26 posted on 02/01/2002 7:12:45 AM PST by mmmmmmmm....... donuts
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To: veronica
THIS they understand.
27 posted on 02/01/2002 7:17:22 AM PST by gulfcoast6
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To: mmmmmmmm....... donuts
I see the evolving American strategy as saying and doing so many things on so many fronts that the Middle Eastern circuits will overload. People laughed ar Reagan for using the phrase "evil empire", but it worked, because at its deepest level, it was true.

Now Bush has the moral authority to call terrorists evil. He conducted the Afghan war with a minimum of death and destruction -- surprising everyone. Now he is calling the Islamists evil, with the full backing of the American people. It will have an effect.

28 posted on 02/01/2002 7:21:45 AM PST by js1138
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To: veronica
As was mentioned elsewhere, this kills any chance the GOP had of picking up Jewish votes.
29 posted on 02/01/2002 7:29:35 AM PST by LarryLied
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To: Catspaw
At least as good as this one.



30 posted on 02/01/2002 7:31:19 AM PST by Nix 2
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To: LarryLied, iceberg
What? This will INCREASE the GOP Jewish vote.
31 posted on 02/01/2002 7:32:16 AM PST by veronica
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To: veronica
Arafat was at the White House more than any other world figure during the Clinton adminstration. Hillary kissed Arafat's wife. And Clinton got around 80% of the Jewish vote. How can being mean to Arafat help the GOP with Jews?

What makes this even worse is that Bush has put Islamic Jihad, Hamas and Hizbollah on his hit list. Clinton was smart enough never to do that. I bet Democrats get 90% of the Jewish vote after all this.

32 posted on 02/01/2002 7:39:43 AM PST by LarryLied
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To: LarryLied
How does it kill the Jewish vote?
33 posted on 02/01/2002 7:40:17 AM PST by Jimmyclyde
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To: LarryLied
"I bet Democrats get 90% of the Jewish vote after all this. "

It is ok to dream, so keep on dreamming. Even is that was the case, Bush is doing the right thing. That is called 'principles', something the rapist-traitor clinton will never have.

34 posted on 02/01/2002 7:57:04 AM PST by gedeon3
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To: LarryLied
What makes this even worse is that Bush has put Islamic Jihad, Hamas and Hizbollah on his hit list. Clinton was smart enough never to do that. I bet Democrats get 90% of the Jewish vote after all this.

They're terrorist groups and belong there. GWB acted from concern for America. Clinton concern was Clinton. He may well have left them off as a favor to some of the Islamic groups that were contributors, I don’t know.

35 posted on 02/01/2002 8:31:13 AM PST by SJackson
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To: gedeon3
Bush is doing the right thing.

Republicans always do the right thing regarding Israel. Republicans sponsored the bill which built the Holocaust Museum in Washington DC.

And they always get kicked in the teeth for their efforts.

36 posted on 02/01/2002 8:40:58 AM PST by LarryLied
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To: ObjetD'art, CommiesOut
Meanwhile, back in the real world, where it matters....
37 posted on 02/01/2002 8:52:26 AM PST by veronica
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To: veronica
NEVER AGAIN!

(Hopefully.)

38 posted on 02/01/2002 10:56:21 AM PST by ppaul
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To: veronica
What we need to do, is block ALL accounts of these terrorists, including especially the ones by which the European Shame Onion, and Norway too, are sending money to these monsters.

Also we should confiscate the estimated $120 million that Arafat personally has embezzled into his own private Swiss accounts. Suha has been living high in Paris on this: I think she should have to go to Chappaqua and room with her pal Hitlery.

39 posted on 02/01/2002 11:00:10 AM PST by crystalk
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To: veronica
No surprise to me. GWB detests Arafat and his minions.
40 posted on 02/02/2002 1:52:55 AM PST by onyx
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