April 28, 2012

Supporting the Palestine Authority and PLO: In America's National Security Interests?

The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) has been a thorn in the side of Israel since its founding, and is one of the better known terrorist organizations in the world that trains and indoctrinates hatred of the Jews to the Palestinian people.  This organization plays a big role within the political structure of Palestinian Authority (PA).  Recently, another terrorist organization, Hamas was elected to serve as the leadership of Palestine.  Hamas is one of the most brutal and barbaric terrorist movements in modern history, being responsible for the murder of hundreds of Israeli, Palestinian, and American civilians and the maiming of thousands more.

Recently, foreign aid was suspended to the PA after the current president, Mahmoud Abbas, sought statehood at the UN.  The suspension of aid play a huge role in this regime's legitimacy.  For starters, citing this 2006 report, look at the level of aid:

U.S. Funding for the Palestinian Authority and UNRWA
The Palestinian Authority is hugely dependent upon foreign assistance, which accounts for about 66 percent of its annual budget. European Union funding for the PA amounted to $600 million in 2005.[2] The United States gives $70 million directly to the PA each year, as well as $225 million for humanitarian projects through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).[3] Between 1993 and 2004, the Palestinian Authority received $6.93 billion in aid from the international community.[4] --
 Dependency on foreign aid has only grown since 2006. 

Recently, another executive decision recently mandated more American $$'s will be flowing to Hamas

Obama lifts freeze on $192 million aid package to Palestinian Authority

Funding serves ‘security interests of the US,’ says president. Congress blocked it after Abbas’s bid for UN recognition of ‘Palestine’

President Barack Obama has lifted a ban on financial aid to the Palestinian Authority. An official with the US Agency for International Development said Saturday that the money had been restored. 
Obama stated that the aid was “important to the security interests of the United States.” The US Congress froze a $192 million aid package to the Palestinian Authority after its president, Mahmoud Abbas, defied US pressure and sought to attain UN endorsement of Palestinian statehood last September. The presidential waiver means that aid can now be delivered.

Why are we supplying so much aid?

The region has been in constant war and chaos for the large part of the last 50+ years, actually has there ever been a time of peace?  Aid has been given for 'humanitarian' reasons, to keep the 4 million people of Palestine from dying of hunger.

If we spend this much though on humanitarian aid, why STILL are so many living poor and dying?  Take this statistic for starters:

- 50% of Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza currently rely on donor food aid for at least some of their food. This means that 1.8 million Palestinians are now partially or fully dependent on food aid.
The answer is obvious.  The $$ never got to those who needed it.  The amount of money sent to the PA, especially under previous dictator Yasser Arafat, never reached the poor and needy.  Arafat was known to own a dozen limos and lived a luxurious life, all while those around him starved.  His response was typically of a dictator;  the more you keep people enslaved, the less power they have to overthrow you. 

Why are we funding them STILL?

 Giving to the needy is great, but given without accountability is stupid and naive.  This world needs more freedom, peace, and liberty.  Supplying leaders who do not believe in these principles and advocate for their kids to grow up to become terrorists should never come close to 'humanitarian aid.'  If we want these dollars to go to the poor instead of financing terrorism, accountability has to reign all throughout the process.  But then, perhaps that is the issue?  Can accountability be even possible when the government commits violence and acts of terrorism, like Hamas does on a routine basis? 

The solution is to require accountable non-profits to administer the funds: If you don't play by these rules, you don't get the money.  My guess, Abbas would never bow down to these wishes. 

In addition, in the name of humanitarian aid, people are given little reason to work for this money.  Welfare enslaves people and offers no incentives to work.  It's obvious when you see it.  Recently, an earthquake wiped out Haiti.  America then donated something like $400M of food and supplies.  The result: millions of farmers out of work as they can no longer produce anything and expect to get it to market.  Poverty is still rampant in this country over 1 year after the aid arrived.  Over 70% of the nation I believe is still living in tents!  Don't believe me? Do some research and prove me wrong.

The solution is empowerment of the individual

Check out for some great organizations that are leading the fight to end poverty the right way, with boots on the ground, accountability, and empowerment of the individual. 

 Further Research

Check out this link at Conservative DC policy think tank for some more research on the topic.  Also, below.

According to a report in 2007 by the Congressional Research Service the USA had paid over 1.9 Billion in aid to Yasser Arafat and the PLO.  This organization by Yassir Arafat. The PLO was created in 1964 during a meeting known as the Palestinian Congress in an effort to give a voice to the large number of Palestinians living in refugee camps in Lebanon.  
Current U.S. Restrictions on Aid to the Palestinians

Direct Assistance to the PA. Since the signing of the Oslo Accords in 1993, the U.S. government has committed an estimated $1.9 billion in bilateral economic assistance to the Palestinians. According to annual foreign operations appropriations legislation, congressionally approved funds for the West Bank and Gaza Strip cannot be given directly to the P A unless the President submits a waiver to Congress stating that doing so is in the interest of national security. The United States has provided direct assistance to the Palestinian Authority on six occasions including the following:

-In 1993-1994, the United States provided $36 million through the Holst Fund at the World Bank for direct assistance to the PA, and an additional $5 million in cash and equipment for the Palestinian police.

- On July 8, 2003, the United States announced that it would provide $20 million out of a $50 million FY2003 Supplemental allocation as direct aid to the PA for infrastructure projects.

-On December 8, 2004, President Bush again approved $20 million in direct assistance to the PA to pay off overdue Palestinian utility bills to Israeli companies.

- Following PA President Abbas’ May 2005 visit to the White House, President Bush announced that the United States would transfer an additional $50 million from unobligated FY2005 ESF funds to the Palestinian Authority. However, that transfer was later rescinded after the formation of the Hamas-led government in March 2006 and the PA returned $45 million of the $50 million.

-In 2007, the Bush Administration provided a total of $59 million to Palestinian President Abbas, of which $43 million was used for training and non-lethal assistance to the Palestinian Presidential Guard and $16 million was used for improvements at the Karni crossing, the main terminal for goods moving in and out of Gaza.

- In June 2007, President Bush issued a waiver to send $18 million in direct assistance to the P A to be used for a variety of purposes, including democracy assistance, assistance to combat money laundering, and security upgrades at the Karni crossing cargo terminal.

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