U.S. Funds Enter Fray In Palestinian Elections (using UStaxpayers' money?)

I hope taxpayers' money is not being used to influence elections in foreign lands? Or is this charity? I suppose we a fund a coup now and again too do we?

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/21/AR2006012101431.html

The Bush administration is spending foreign aid money to increase the popularity of the Palestinian Authority on the eve of crucial elections in which the governing party faces a serious challenge from the radical Islamic group Hamas.

...from China to prop up country X we're doing nothing more than spinning plates, and we've got very little energy left to continue doing so. We have to become economic nationalists, bringing jobs back into our country, showing the rest of the world that our model works. Only then will we have really converted countries to a Western system of democracy- when we can show them that they can be more prosperous than under any other -ism.

While Israel eats up the majority of foreign aid for middle eastern countries (oy, the loans we give them and then "forgive" so they do not have to repay!), the whole system is left over from the Cold War and useless now.

With our malignant administration, a national debt like 7 atom bombs going off at once and all the "good will" we've managed to destroy in the world, we've got a long way to go.

PB

yes

they really do think to simply toss a pile of money at ANY problem will just make it go away.

if they want to influence the outcome of the election? It worked here. :(

maybe that's what they funded?

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/21/AR2006012101431_pf.html

U.S. Funds Enter Fray In Palestinian Elections

Bush Administration Uses USAID as Invisible Conduit

By Scott Wilson and Glenn Kessler
Washington Post Foreign Service
Sunday, January 22, 2006; A01

RAMALLAH, West Bank -- The Bush administration is spending foreign aid money to increase the popularity of the Palestinian Authority on the eve of crucial elections in which the governing party faces a serious challenge from the radical Islamic group Hamas.

The approximately $2 million program is being led by a division of the U.S. Agency for International Development. But no U.S. government logos appear with the projects or events being undertaken as part of the campaign, which bears no evidence of U.S. involvement and does not fall within the definitions of traditional development work.

U.S. officials say their low profile is meant to ensure that the Palestinian Authority receives public credit for a collection of small, popular projects and events to be unveiled before Palestinians select their first parliament in a decade. Internal documents outlining the program describe the effort as "a temporary paradigm shift" in the way the aid agency operates. The plan was designed with the help of a former U.S. Army Special Forces officer who worked in postwar Afghanistan on democracy-building projects.

U.S. and Palestinian officials say they fear the election, scheduled for Wednesday, will result in a large Hamas presence in the 132-seat legislature. Hamas, formally known as the Islamic Resistance Movement, is at war with Israel and is classified by the U.S. government as a terrorist organization. But its reputation for competence and accountability in providing social services has made it a stiff rival of the secular Fatah movement, which runs the Palestinian Authority and has long been the largest party in the Palestinian territories........

......U.S. officials and consultants involved in the program acknowledge that it generated debate inside the aid agency and the two firms hired to manage the project. But U.S. officials said the goal of limiting Hamas's influence in the next Palestinian government overshadowed concerns about the decision not to disclose the U.S. government's role in the campaign.

"We are not favoring any particular party," said James A. Bever, the USAID mission director for the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. "But we do not support parties that are on the terrorism list. We are here to support the democratic process."

....Downplaying U.S. Credit

The project is supervised by USAID's Office of Transition Initiatives, which specializes in promoting U.S. interests during times of political change in foreign countries and has the ability to spend money faster than other departments, according to agency officials.

The office hired ARD, which in turn subcontracted the project to a Washington-based firm, Strategic Assessments Initiative, or SAI, known for its largely academic work on issues such as Palestinian security reform. SAI had no experience in development work and had never worked for USAID.

Amjad Atallah, the company's president, said he was not authorized to talk about the project, though he said it raised concerns within his organization. Atallah said he agreed to work on the contract only after USAID agreed to his requests that Palestinian teams work in the field and that the program be coordinated through the office of President Abbas, who is not a candidate in the election.

large wads of cash passed to the favored party of some little tyrant who wants to rule the world?

Shocked! Shocked I tell you!

Now they can hate us for our freedom to interfere with their free elections!

Since virtually every Palestinian has been disenfranchised by the insistence of ONLY negotiating with Arafat, they should have anticipated a period where the Arafat era would be no longer and this would cause an avalanche of unrecognized demands.

The US and Israel is simply trying to release Arafat V.2 and this is first service pack.

If this move is to reduce calls to their tech line caused by the 'programming' in their original release, this faulty service pack will make the call volume triple.

A lot of people did point out that if you didn't settle peace with Arafat over a matter of legitimacy, then force him to enhance his legitmacy by all means necessary, through a mandated democratic process, then you are simply declaring war. You still will have to deal with the demands of Hamas and Hez and all the rest of the Palestinians or exterminate them.

It's not going to go away until Israel leaves the occupied terrorities competely and it's fine for western allies to protect Israel, but the West is not going to solve it's dilemma; it's hypocrisy, by simply disenfranching it's own critics and ignoring the problem.

It's fine for a family to love each other, but America and Israel seemed to have taken it to the extreme and are now in the 'family way'. The security of Israel is NOT a priority when Israel is illegally occupying terrorities.

I don't think the US is helping solve the ME situation, only adding fuel to the already out of control fire. The Us wanted it's military bases in the ME and is determined that nothing stands in its way. This government is not acting on my behalf