US Official: Gaza reconstruction aid to top $900M

[NikolaC]

Source: AP

US official: Gaza reconstruction aid to top $900M
By MATTI FRIEDMAN, Associated Press Writer

JERUSALEM – United States aid for the Gaza Strip's reconstruction will likely top $900 million, an official said, as U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton prepared to make her first Mideast trip as America's top diplomat.

Israeli and Palestinian officials said Monday that Clinton will visit Israel and the West Bank during the first week of March. Clinton said during her Asia trip 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.



Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090224/ap_on_re_mi_ea/israel_us

[acmavm]

1. It's the right thing to do, but where will the money come from? Oh, I know.

We'll quit giving aid to the country to caused all this.

[miyazaki]

2. there ya go. n/t

[northernlights]

6. if only...nt

[GeorgeGist]

3. So it goes ...

America helps underwrite the cost of destruction, and then it helps underwrite the cost of reconstruction. The God Bless America crowd must be very proud of their foreign policy.

[DUlover2909]

4. We pay one side to build, then another side to tear down.

That's called job security, by some.

[dipsydoodle]

5. Pocket change

compared with what Israel gets.