US Pledges $900 Million in Palestinian Aid
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has arrived in Egypt in her first trip to the Middle East since taking office. Clinton is attending an international conference in Sharm El-Sheikh to raise money for the Gaza Strip. The US plans to pledge $300 million in humanitarian relief for the people of Gaza in addition to $600 million for the Palestinian Authority. The additional money not aimed at Gaza comprises $200 million in budget support to pay wages, much of which was previously announced, and $400 million to support reform and development in the West Bank. Secretary of State Clinton praised the leadership of Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton: “Through his commitment to negotiations with neighbors, President Abbas has shown the hallmarks of leadership, as has Prime Minister Fayyad, who has bolstered the credibility of his government by instituting a national budget process that is transparent and serves the needs of the Palestinian people. They are offering their people the option of a peaceful, independent and more prosperous future, not the violence and false choices of extremists whose tactics, including rocket attacks that continue to this day, only will lead to more hardship and suffering. These attacks must stop.”
The Washington Post reports the US aid package underscores how little the Obama administration’s policy toward the Palestinian issue has thus far differed from the Bush administration’s approach.
Aid Groups Calls for Israel to Lift Gaza Blockade
International aid groups are calling on Israel to lift the blockade of Gaza, because they say it is preventing the Palestinians from rebuilding the Gaza Strip. Israel has banned the importation of cement, steel rods and other material necessary for construction. Over the past month, Israel has also arbitrarily refused entry to items like chickpeas, macaroni, wheat flour, notebooks for students, freezer appliances, generators and water pumps, and cooking gas.
Israel Considers Vastly Expanding West Bank Settlement
The Israeli newspaper Haaretz reports an Israeli government agency is quietly promoting plans to vastly expand a settlement in the occupied West Bank that currently houses just twelve Israeli families. The Israeli Civil Administration has proposed the initial construction of 550 apartments in the settlement of Gva’ot, located near Alon Shvut, followed by the construction of another 4,450 units at a later stage. Another 2,000 apartments are planned for a neighboring settlement.
Obama Administration to Boycott UN Racism Conference
The Obama administration has announced that the United States will boycott the World Conference Against Racism in Geneva next month, unless its final document drops all references to Israel and reparations for slavery. Israel and Canada have already announced plans to boycott the UN conference. In 2001, Bush administration diplomats walked out of the conference in Durban, South Africa after delegates proposed a resolution likening Zionism to racism. AIPAC, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, praised President Obama’s decision. The group said, “The event, which has again proven to be a celebration of racism and vile anti-Semitic activity, is further evidence of the U.N.’s inability to demonstrate any semblance of fairness or objectivity on these issues when it comes to the Jewish State.”
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