O ye who believe! take not the Jews and the Christians for your friends and
protectors: They are but friends and protectors to each other. And he amongst
you that turns to them (for friendship) is of them. Verily Allah guideth not a
people unjust.
(Al-Qur'an, 5:51 Al-Maeda [The Table, The Table Spread])
Bush to Offer $190 Million in Palestinian Aid
By Caren Bohan and Sue Pleming
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070716/ts_nm/bush_mideast_dc
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President George W. Bush on Monday will offer new
support for the Fatah-led government of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas,
marking a higher profile effort to resolve the Middle East conflict. Bush will
announce $190 million in new aid to the Abbas government, U.S. officials said.
He will reaffirm his vision of a Palestinian state at peace with Israel and
call for a meeting this autumn to discuss ways to get the peace talks back on
track.
After the violent takeover last month of the Gaza Strip by the Palestinian
militant group Hamas, Western countries have rallied behind Abbas with promises
of renewed aid. Their hope is to isolate Hamas, branded a terrorist group by
the United States, and to try to spur peace moves between Palestinian moderates
and Israel. But some political analysts said the strategy could backfire as
Abbas will be viewed more as a collaborator of Israel and Washington.
White House spokesman Tony Snow said it was a "moment of choice" for the
Palestinians in which they will need to choose between Abbas' vision and that
of Hamas.
The regional meeting Bush will call for will be led by U.S. Secretary of
State Condoleezza Rice. It will include Israel, the Palestinian Authority and
"neighbors in the region.""The purpose of it will be to review progress toward
building Palestinian institutions, look for ways to support further reforms and
support the effort going on right now between the parties together," said a
U.S. official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. The $190 million is for the
current fiscal year 2007 that ends on September 30.
Rice, Bush's point person on the Middle East, had been scheduled to visit
Israel and the Palestinian territories this week. But that trip has been
postponed and instead, Rice and Defense Secretary Robert Gates, will visit
unspecified countries in the Middle East late this month or early in August to
reassure allies of the U.S. commitment to the region and ask for support in
helping to stabilize Iraq.
U.S. allies such as Saudi Arabia and Egypt have long wanted Bush to get more
involved in Middle East peacemaking and Rice is expected to make clear to them
that resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is a priority in the
administration's final 18 months.
Middle East expert Shibley Telhami said the Bush administration's strategy of
isolating Hamas could not work. "I don't see how anything serious on the
diplomatic front can be accomplished so long as the strategy to isolate Hamas
continues," said Telhami of the University of Maryland.
Bush's close ally, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, this week
assumes the role of envoy for the quartet of Middle East mediators. Bush will
also speak about what was expected of Blair as the new envoy for the Quartet,
comprised of the United States, the European Union, Russia and the United
Nations, he said.
The Quartet will convene in Lisbon on Thursday at what will be the group's
first meeting since naming Blair its envoy to spearhead talks between Israel,
the Palestinians and Arab states.
AB [EMAIL PROTECTED]
First They Came for the EXTREMIST, FUNDAMENTALIST & MODERATE Muslims. And I
DIDNT Speak Out Because I Wasn't An Extremist, Fundamentalist or a Moderate
Muslim. Then FINALLY They Came for Me the NON-PRACTICING Muslim And NO Muslims
Were Left to Speak Out for ME.
---------------------------------
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