US congress bans talks with Hamas

Congress passes bill already approved by Senate prohibiting transfer of aid, official talks with Hamas government until president declares PA no longer ruled by terror group. Bill will deny Hamas US entry visas, allows humanitarian aid to PA

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3337471,00.html

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"One day after the special US study group on Iraq submitted the Baker-Hamilton report recommending President George W. Bush's administration to push harder towards an Israeli-Palestinian agreement, the United States Congress passed a bill forbidding the US administration to hold talks with the Palestinian Hamas government. The bill must still be approved by President George W. Bush.

According to the bill the US will have no contact, nor provide aid to the Hamas-governed Palestinian Authority until the terror organization recognizes Israel 's right to exist and denounces terror.

The pro-Israel lobby in Washington, AIPAC, put the full weight of its influence behind the 'Palestinian anti-terror act of 2006'. The bill was passed in the Senate in June and now after passing Congress as well only needs to be approved by President Bush.

The bill, while prohibiting the transfer of aid to the PA, will allow the US to offer limited aid to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and humanitarian aid to the Palestinian public as well as continued funding for aid programs."

Get involved in the campaign against the bill. Demand Bush veto the bill.
http://www.endtheoccupation.org/

And just another reason we must stop aipac. www.stopaipac.org
This resolution, introduced after the recent Palestinian legislative election which resulted in a Hamas victory, goes far beyond reiterating the current US ban on direct assistance to the Palestinian Authority; it also calls for many troubling provisions that would punish and isolate the Palestinian people for exercising their right to vote. This unconstructive approach would only perpetuate the status quo of violence, military occupation, and human rights violations rather than promoting dialogue and a just, peaceful resolution to the conflict.

The provisions include restricting US humanitarian aid; designating Palestinian territory as a “terrorist sanctuary” thus triggering restrictions on US exports; prohibiting official Palestinian diplomacy or representation in the United States in a way counter-productive to promoting dialogue and a just peace; reducing US dues to the United Nations because some of its bodies were created by the UN to advocate for Palestinian human rights; and denying Palestinians the ability to receive assistance through international financial institutions.

The United States says that it is committed to promoting democracy. If that is indeed the case, it is inappropriate for Members of Congress to advance legislation that would punish and isolate people through draconian economic and diplomatic measures when the result of an election is not to the liking of the United States.

As well as John Kerry, Ted Kennedy, and Carl Levin when it was first introduced in the Senate.

Demanding that Bush veto a bill co-sponsored by Feingold, Reid, and Kennedy?

Are we through the looking glass?

Democrats are only good when they are anti-Israel, at least in I/P. :rofl:

Of course I have to wonder what the game is since apparently Democratic leaders met with Hamas officials... http://www.aljazeera.com/cgi-bin/conspiracy_theory/fullstory.asp?id=350

Note that I am not puttin a lot of stock in the story, given the frequency it appears on ultra right wing sites, but Al-Jazeera... well.. :shrug: they are a reasonable credible site.

Aljazeera Publishing and aljazeera.com are not associated with the Qatar based television channel aljazeera or the website aljazeera.net.

http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/55ABE840-AC30-41D2-BDC9-06BBE2A36665.htm

Iran.

This appears to be at odds with the ISG report, which emphasizes diplomancy.

The biggest difference between the members of the ISG and Congress (for the most part) is one of those groups is not interested in running for elected office or raising money to do so.

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"Action Alert: Tell Bush to Veto Palestinian Sanctions Bill

Today, the House of Representatives passed S.2370, the Palestinian Anti-Terrorism Act of 2006, by Voice Vote (not recorded).

The House's passage of S.2370, which was passed previously by the Senate on June 23, clears the way for the President to sign into law draconian economic and diplomatic sanctions against the Palestinian people for exercising their right to vote in legislative elections held earlier this year.

TAKE ACTION: Contact the White House NOW by phone 202-456-1111, by fax 202-456-2461, and by email: comments@whitehouse.gov and ask the President to veto S.2370, the Palestinian Anti-Terrorism Act. Tell the President that the United States should not be sanctioning people for exercising their right to vote.

The US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation is in the process of trying to set up a meeting with White House officials to deliver a petition signed by more than 340 US-based organizations opposing the Palestinian Anti-Terrorism Act and to ask for a veto.

For more details about the Palestinian Anti-Terrorism Act and the US Campaign's efforts to oppose it: http://www.endtheoccupation.org/article.php?id=1188

US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation PO Box 21539 Washington , DC 20009 202-332-0994 http://www.endtheoccupation.org "