As we all know, the Israelis unleashed its savage bombing of Gaza [for 22 days] last month - causing untold numbers of deaths and massive physical devastation to the narrow strip of land.
The Bush Administration said or did nothing to halt the Israeli offensive. It is now being suggested that then president-elect Obama also determined not to come out condemning Israel for its actions or even calling for a halt of the savage bombing. Not to be overlooked, of course, is that much of Israel's hardware was supplied by the US in the first place.
So, having seen Gaza effectively pulverised, now we have the US seemingly on the verge of providing a massive aid package of US$900 million - in times of America suffering an economic meltdown- to help re-build Gaza. Is this dumb or what?
The Washington Post reports:
"United States aid for the Gaza Strip's reconstruction will likely top $900 million, an official said, as U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton prepared to make her first Mideast trip as America's top diplomat.
Israeli and Palestinian officials said Clinton will visit Israel and the West Bank during the first week of March. Clinton said during her trip to Asia last week that she would attend an international donors conference in Egypt on March 2 to discuss reconstruction in Gaza.
She provided no other details, but a U.S. official in the United States said Monday that the Obama administration's donation will be at least $900 million in humanitarian and rebuilding aid to the Palestinian Authority to help Gaza recover from Israel's offensive against Hamas last month.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the donation had not received final approval, said the exact amount was still to be determined.
The official added that the aid would not go to Hamas. The U.S. recognizes the West Bank-based government of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and has no formal contacts with the Islamic militant group Hamas, which runs a separate Palestinian administration in the Gaza Strip.
Money often is funneled into Gaza through international organizations such as the United Nations, or through Abbas' government, which deposits it directly into Gazans' bank accounts."
The Bush Administration said or did nothing to halt the Israeli offensive. It is now being suggested that then president-elect Obama also determined not to come out condemning Israel for its actions or even calling for a halt of the savage bombing. Not to be overlooked, of course, is that much of Israel's hardware was supplied by the US in the first place.
So, having seen Gaza effectively pulverised, now we have the US seemingly on the verge of providing a massive aid package of US$900 million - in times of America suffering an economic meltdown- to help re-build Gaza. Is this dumb or what?
The Washington Post reports:
"United States aid for the Gaza Strip's reconstruction will likely top $900 million, an official said, as U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton prepared to make her first Mideast trip as America's top diplomat.
Israeli and Palestinian officials said Clinton will visit Israel and the West Bank during the first week of March. Clinton said during her trip to Asia last week that she would attend an international donors conference in Egypt on March 2 to discuss reconstruction in Gaza.
She provided no other details, but a U.S. official in the United States said Monday that the Obama administration's donation will be at least $900 million in humanitarian and rebuilding aid to the Palestinian Authority to help Gaza recover from Israel's offensive against Hamas last month.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the donation had not received final approval, said the exact amount was still to be determined.
The official added that the aid would not go to Hamas. The U.S. recognizes the West Bank-based government of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and has no formal contacts with the Islamic militant group Hamas, which runs a separate Palestinian administration in the Gaza Strip.
Money often is funneled into Gaza through international organizations such as the United Nations, or through Abbas' government, which deposits it directly into Gazans' bank accounts."
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