U.S. plans $900 million pledge for Gaza

[bemildred]

The United States plans to pledge more than $900 million (621 million pounds) to help rebuild Gaza after Israel's invasion and strengthen the Western-backed Palestinian Authority, a U.S. official said on Monday. Skip related content

The money will be channelled through U.N. and other bodies and will not be distributed via the militant group Hamas, which rules Gaza, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity as U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton plans to make the announcement next week at a Gaza donors conference in Egypt.

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/22/20090223/twl-uk-palestinians-clinton-funds-sb-bd5ae06.html

[Botany]

1. we are broke how about the Saudis?

:shrug:

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

2. We give billions to Israel every year.

The "we're broke" excuse ain't gonna cut it until we stop giving to them too.

[PDJane]

3. The saudis didn't supply the weapons that the Israelis

used, nor the permission to use them on a caged people.

[azurnoir]

4. about effing time n/t

[peacetalksforall]

5. I'd like to know how much the Israelis actually paid for the bombs and phosphorous

purchased from us. Don't forget, they used new bombs that we had made. So was this also a live bodyand building test for the manufacturer and the DOD? Was testing a prelude to bombing Iran?

Did we trade with Israel for the bombs - like spying services, database maintenance - the database that contains our all our records?

We had the cost of making the bombs, then supposedly we got something for them, then Israel used them in a ghoulish, inhumane way, and now we need another 900 million to help the survivors get medical and construction help?

The United States is crazy. Before we get treatment for our madness, this country needs to re-evaluate EVERY and ALLLLLLL!!!!! policies that are exceedingly generous to Israel. We need to start over - to go back prior to the existence of Israel and do it right.

Israel doesn't deserive more money from us.

[LeftishBrit]

6. 'Go back prior to the existence of Israel'?

That means going back to pre-1948. To the time when the British empire was just in process of disbanding (the creation of Israel was just one very small part of that) and the French one had not yet done so. When India and Pakistan were undergoing bloody Partition, and Bangladesh did not exist as a country. When most African countries were still colonies. When Stalin ruled the Soviet Union with an iron hand. When several West Europaean countries were dictatorships, e.g. Spain and Portugal, and indeed had nearly 30 years to go before becoming democracies. When America had only 48 states. When the UK was just in process of making its bold leap into something new and amazing called a National Health Service (yes, I thought if I went at it long enough I might find something from 1947 still relevant to today!)

Is it only the existence of Israel that concerns you, or do you think that other things from the 1940s onwards need re-doing?

In fact, if it's just *American aid* toward Israel that concerns you, you don't need to go back to 1947 - there wasn't much of that till the late 70s.

[peacetalksforall]

9. I'm referring to the days starting with the establishment of Israel. I have

no problem with Israel because none of us writing here had a say or weren't even born yet.

I'm referring to reverting to a clean slate for the way we overload support for Israel monetarily and by policy.

I don't agree with people who don't want Israel to exist. The surrounding nations did not have much of a say. The only thing to do is to be adults and figure out a way to exist for the life of children. Why have nature, romance, marriage all leading up to the birth of children if you are only going to make body bombs out of them or praise them for their arm strength for throwing stones - OR - reward them monetarily and by policy because they are clever and they were generously supported with sympathy and money and plush jobs within the government (especially the Pentagon) that guarantees the advancement of Israel OVER other countries.

There is no reason that the U.S. should give favorable awards, rewards to Israel. We have maintained a very bigoted position by our unwavering support for Israel. It is time to become neutral and not feed one side over the other. Creating 'underdogs' is not a futuristic assurance of life.

We all (in the U.S.) supported Isreal for decades. It's time to stop the preferences because Israel betrayed humanity in Gaza, Lebanon. The change within Israel is intolerable and they should not get away with the inhumanity.

My words have nothing to do with religion or race. It is all about basic humanity.

[LeftishBrit]

7. Good. Badly needed.

[cboy4]

8. Maybe Hamas can have a garage sale for all of its rockets

and try to raise the money themselves.

This is like handing over $900 to militants.

[peacetalksforall]

10. What logic! They used stones, then body bombs, and rose to missiles.

Israel has every tool of military technology known to man in the 21st Century including nuclear bombs.

The ratio is whacked up.

[cboy4]

11. No I think your side refers to them as "firecrackers"

You know, the rockets that kill and threaten Israelis.

[Idealism]

12. Blindness to the other will not get you very far. n/t

[Scurrilous]

13. Palestinians seek $2.8 billion to rebuild Gaza

<snip>

"Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad says he is seeking $2.8 billion in foreign aid for rebuilding Gaza Strip.

The damage resulted from Israel's three-week offensive against Gaza's Hamas rulers that ended in mid-January. Representatives from dozens of donor countries are meeting in Egypt on Monday for a Gaza pledging conference. The United States is expected to give about $900 million.

Fayyad told a news conference Wednesday that he will ask donors to pledge a total of $2.8 billion. Initial assessments put the physical and economic damage at $2 billion.

The reconstruction of Gaza is complicated by an Israeli and Egyptian blockade of the territory following Hamas' 2007 takeover. Aid officials say rebuilding is impossible without open borders."

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5h-unICPq4NclrHghEsiDsyKvtoVgD96IJFUO0

[oberliner]

14. Coordination between PA and Hamas will be a challenge

How is Fayyad meant to represent the interests of Gaza if they do not recognize him as PM there?