Posted on 05/09/2006 3:39:58 PM PDT by SmithL
The United States bowed to pressure from its allies on Tuesday and agreed to support a new program to temporarily funnel additional humanitarian aid directly to the Palestinian people.
A statement by Mideast peacemakers, issued after a day of closed-door diplomatic meetings, did not suggest precisely how much or what kind of aid they would provide. But the agreement seemed to underscore a concern that months of withholding most aid from the Palestinians, part of an effort to pressure the new Hamas-led government toward a more accommodating stance with Israel, was harming the Palestinian people.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said the European Union would take the lead in the new effort. The United Nations and Russia, the other partners in the Quartet peacemaking group along with the U.S., also endorsed the program.
"The thrust of this is the international community is still trying to respond to the needs of the Palestinian people," Rice said.
The U.S. and European Union have cut off much of the aid that had flowed in the past to Palestinian programs, working to prevent any of it from helping Hamas, the militant Islamic group that has conducted numerous terrorist attacks.
The cutoff has left the Palestinian government virtually broke and increasingly unable to provide basic services. Some 165,000 government workers, whose incomes had supported one-third of Palestinian families, have not been paid for the past two months.
Going into Tuesday's meetings at the United Nations, Rice said she was urging the allies to retain a hard-line approach toward aid that could end up benefiting Hamas.
After a second session, the diplomats produced a statement expressing their willingness "to endorse a temporary international mechanism that is limited in scope and duration, operates with full transparency and accountability, and ensures direct delivery of any assistance
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
Yep big-bad U.S. finally concedes to do the right thing! Thanks AP, no bias or outright vitriol showing or anything.
my tax dollars at work
ROTFLMAO!
It's $10 million and it should buy just enough time to allow Israel to finish the wall then get the popcorn out and enjoy the show.
Diplomatic diahrreah.
HAMAS, TURNAROUND JUMPER....THEY SCORE!!!
Look Dr. Rice, they freely elected the terrorists to run their little neck of the world. We don't need to be funding them to look good etc. in front of the rest of the world. They hate US anyway, they hate anything western etc. Let them live by their own dang choices. There is a whole middle-east there to support them...let Hamas do the dirty deals elsewhere.
Hmm...looking through my pocket Constitution to find the power given to the federal government to spend Americans' tax dollars on "humanitarian aid"....hmmm...can't find it...must be here somewhere...
Articles on Israel can also be found by clicking on the Topic or Keyword Israel.
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So much for the other thread titled "Rice Urges Hard Line Against Hamas"
Please understand that I will not waste my time voting in the primary this year, and I certainly will not vote for any Republican for any office. This nonsense has to stop. I want these people (Hamas, and all Islamic Swine) dead. I certainly do not want to help pay for their food or medicine or any other sappy can't-we-all-just-get-along support.
ML/NJ
This is a joke. While its people starve, Hamas still seems to find money and resources to smuggle arms into Gaza & the West Bank. Are Kassam rockets edible? Maybe with a little pepper & salt....
You must need stroger reading glasses. In my copy it's right there just before the power to dictate content and standards in classrooms.
Good to know that that evil Palestinian bitch who handed out candy on 9/11 will be able to buy more sweets with our money.
Blecch.
165,000 government employees? What kind of work do they do?
Police and fire department? No.
Garbage collectors? No.
Parks and recreation? No.
Road construction and maintenance? No.
Can somebody tell me what these 165,000 public employees are being paid to do?
FRmail me to be added or removed from this Judaic/pro-Israel/Russian Jewry ping list.
Warning! This is a high-volume ping list.
ping
pepper and salt gets expensive you know...
From an already peeved off freeper today (me)......dam them all!
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