Billion Dollar Bailout
Not mortgages, auto manufacturers, banks or Wall Street. Rather $900 million U.S. taxpayer dollars (in addition to $85 million pledged in December) to bail out Hamas in Gaza.
Secretary of State Clinton didn't say it that way, of course, but announced the U.S. contribution as emergency humanitarian aid for Gaza. "None of the money will go to Hamas, it will be funneled through NGOs and UN groups," said an administration official, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Which agency? UNRWA, for one. This would be the same UNRWA that has been closely associated with Hamas, and even slipped a letter from Hamas to President Obama into a packet of "promotional material" provided to Sen. Kerry without telling him he was serving as the messenger. The same UNRWA that announced that Israel had shelled a school, killing 41 people; then said the school wasn't hit, but 41 "innocent people" were killed outside the school - then Israel discovered that 12 people, including 5 known Hamas members and 4 other men, were actually killed outside the school. That UNRWA.
"None of the money will go to Hamas," we repeat the anonymous official. "Some of the $900 million... will go to the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank," said another official quoted in The New York Times. That would mean Abu Mazen's Fatah government - America's theoretical "peace" partner - would be responsible for spending our bailout money. This would be the same Fatah that Palestinian voters rejected in favor of Hamas; the same Fatah that then lost a civil war to Hamas in Gaza; the same Fatah that is currently building a "security force" in the West Bank under the direction of an American Army general in order to protect itself from Hamas (if it is building an army to protect itself from Israel, we're in real trouble); and the same Fatah that is engaged in "unity" talks with Hamas in Cairo, where Hamas is "demanding" open border crossings to receive the international largesse.
This is Wonderland.
The Palestinian people knew full well that the agenda included terror against Israel when they elected Hamas. Israel's operation in Gaza was inevitable and as careful as it could be under the circumstance of Hamas hiding its fighters among its own women and children. Trying to put money into Gaza while Hamas still occupies center stage in "unity" talks in Cairo ensures that Hamas's political and financial position can only be strengthened. Abu Mazen shouldn't be looking for "unity," he should be denouncing Hamas as a rogue organization, worse for the Palestinians than for Israel.
No one is starving in Gaza; no one ever did because Israel won't let it happen. But "reconstruction" with American money should wait until the people of Gaza are clear about the cost of their support of Hamas, and Hamas - and its agent UNRWA - are written out of reconstruction plans.
Bailing out mortgages is one thing - bailing out terrorist organizations is something else.
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