Then why do they look like the United Nations? Since when do our government agencies have secretariats?
Posted on 12/20/2005 8:13:50 AM PST by Alouette
American agency contributed money for the construction of roads in village ruled by terror organization
While the United States House of Representatives passed a resolution calling for a halt in funding to the Palestinians if Hamas wins upcoming parliamentary elections, the U.S. government is currently in the process of funding a Gaza town run by Hamas.
The U.S. Agency for International Development, in conjunction with the Islamic Development Bank, reportedly contributed USD 392,000 for construction of roads and public facilities in Bani Suhaila, a Gaza village outside the populated Palestinian city of Khan Yunis.
U.S. AID has contracted a company specializing in road development and will oversee the road construction project, a spokesman for the agency told WND.
Israel Resource News Agency and Middle East Newsline reported the mayor of Bani Suhaila, Hamas activist Abdul Khader Al Rokab, told the Palestinian media he expects additional funds from U.S. AID for development of other projects in his municipality.
Hamas earlier this month won 13 out of 14 seats in Bani Suhaila's local municipal elections. According to Israeli security sources, the terror group has long maintained a civilian infrastructure in the area consisting of Hamas-owned shopping centers, medical clinics and other public facilities.
Dr. Mahmoud al-Zahar, Hamas' Gaza chief, told WND his group is "absolutely in charge in Bani Suhaila. The Palestinian people have voted and told us in an open and fair manner that they want us to represent them and their interests."
Anna Litvak, a public affairs officer for U.S. AID's regional headquarters in Tel Aviv, told WND development of Bani Suhaila was in the works long before Hamas won the town's elections.
Hamas gunmen have taken charge
"Leaderships change all the time," said Litvak. "We are here to benefit the Palestinian people, not Palestinian groups. We don't want to deal with Hamas."
Asked if her agency will call off its Bani Suhaila development initiatives now that Hamas rules the municipality, Litvak replied, "The fact that the project is now located in a municipality run by Hamas doesn't change things."
Friday, Congress passed a resolution in a vote of 397 to 17 saying it would freeze aid to the PA if Hamas wins parliamentary elections currently scheduled for Jan. 25. The terror group swept this month's local elections throughout Gaza and in many Judea and Samaria towns.
Congress further demanded Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas dismantle the various Palestinian terror groups before elections are held.
The European Union, the largest Western donor to the PA, also hinted it may halt contributions if Hamas wins in the elections.
EU Foreign Policy Chief Javier Solana told reporters in Tel Aviv, "It is very difficult that parties that do not condemn violence.”
Security officials say since Israel's withdrawal from Gaza this past summer, Hamas gunmen on the ground have taken charge of many Gaza Strip neighborhoods.
As WND first reported, in what many expelled Jewish Gaza residents called the "ultimate insult," Hamas leaders said they turned Neve Dekalim, the former Jewish capital of Gaza, into a "martyr training camp" and have used the territory to launch rockets into Israel.
Hamas leader al-Zaha told WND Israel's Gaza withdrawal is a victory for "resistance operations," and he vowed to continue "operations" against the Jewish state until "all territories" are liberated.
Warning! This is a high-volume ping list.
This is a good reminder to again ask some simple questions:
What is the "U.S. Agency for International Development"? Is it an NGO (Non-Governmental Organization)? Who runs it? What control, if any, does Congress have over it?
How can they totally unconsciously continue doing something prohibited to government agencies and, presumably to the American public at large?
Is this organization funded in total or in part with taxpayer money? Anybody know?
"Habitat for Hamas"
Of course it would be a Litvak!
..................
It would be a jihad "theme park". Don't feed the palesimians!
Can we expect to see Mr. Peanut showing up soon?
If they were an NGO or private group, we'd be investigating them.
They're funded by Congress and simply follow the State Dept's lead. They're part of our government, pure and simple.
You'd have to ask the administration. USAID was created by Congress in the early 60s, essentially to oversee the distribution of non-military aid free of political considerations, dumb idea, which is why they're theoretically independent of the cabinet. The President appoints their director and I'd presume next level, and the Senate confirms them. Congress provides the money. It's part of our government, with a Secretariat.
As an aside, personally I think routing aid through USAID, targeted for specific projects, makes more sense than simply cutting checks in many cases. As to their effieiency, particularly monitoring the use of funds, I don't know, other than US aid to Arafat flowed through USAID and he got very rich.
USAID is a boondoggle of epic proportions, I've seen their "work" firsthand. Drive out of Cairo and head towards Ismalia Egypt, those hundreds of building (an entire city) sitting vacant and being slowly covered in sand were built by your tax dollars. Apparently no one at USAID could figure out that without autos or public transportation, the Egyptian's had no means to get to a job or to the closest market.....duh....
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