- The designation of $50 million of the $200 million in the supplement
for what
- is assumed to be high-tech border crossings to speed passage of Palestinian goods
- and people through security checkpoints is troublesome if those crossing are located
- within the West Bank or Gaza. U.S. law has long prohibited U.S. aid being used in the
- occupied territories.
- is assumed to be high-tech border crossings to speed passage of Palestinian goods
---Forwarded Message---
Date: Tue, 8 Mar 2005 07:42:41 -0600
Sender: ELCA Mid-East Networking List <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
From: Ann Hafften <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: Action Alert: Support Aid to the Palestinians 050308
March 8, 2004
>From the ELCA Middle East Networking List...
Churches for Middle East Peace Action Alert: Support Aid to the
Palestinians. This alert can also be found on the CMEP web site:
http://www.cmep.org/Alerts/2005March7.htm
March 7, 2005
From: Corinne Whitlatch, Executive Director
Action Alert: Support Aid to the Palestinians
President Bush has called for significant increases in U.S. financial aid to
the Palestinians in both the supplemental and in the 2006 budget. The FY
2005 Iraq-Afghanistan supplemental includes $200 million in emergency
assistance to the Palestinian Authority and is currently on the
Congressional agenda. On March 8th the House Appropriations Committee will
hold a markup of the President's supplemental request. It is expected that
the supplemental bill will go to the floor on March 14. A breakdown of the
$200 million in the supplemental is at the end of this message.
This move is a shock to the Congress which for years has consistently acted
to place stringent restrictions on any aid going to the Palestinians and to
totally prohibit aid to the Palestinian Authority. Some of the strongest
Congressional supporters of Israel are not going along with the new
opportunities and new responsibilities of this new era in the United States
engagement with Israel and the Palestinians. Reps. Weiner (D-NY), Otter
(R-ID) and Crowley (D-NY) circulated a Dear Colleague seeking cosponsors on
legislation they intend to introduce banning aid to the Palestinians until
there is "an end to violence against Israel" and calling for withholding
funding "until the PA's actions demonstrate accountability and sustained
progress toward peace." The House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-TX) and Nina
Lowey (D-NY) are also resisting direct aid; Tom Lantos (D-CA) and Shelley
Berkley (D-NV) are insisting on stringent conditions that observers say
could sink Bush's plan.
Sen. Barbara Boxer raised concerns about making sure that the aid was
transparent and "not wasted" to David Satterfield, Acting Assistant
Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs at a March 2 Senate Foreign
Relations Committee hearing. He replied, "Senator, the assistance we have
provided to the Palestinian people since October 1, 1993, have all been done
in a completely transparent and fully accountable manner. We have, on two
occasions, provided extraordinary assistance directly to the Palestinian
Authority through the ministry of finance, and in those two instances,
again, absolute transparency and accountability has been maintained."
Americans for Peace Now and the Israel Policy Forum are urging Members of
Congress to support the President's full request for Palestinians in the
supplemental. CMEP is urging support specifically for the aid to the
Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza. The designation of $50 million of
the $200 million in the supplement for what is assumed to be high-tech
border crossings to speed passage of Palestinian goods and people through
security checkpoints is troublesome if those crossing are located within the
West Bank or Gaza. U.S. law has long prohibited U.S. aid being used in the
occupied territories. Nevertheless, the emphasis in your advocacy should be
on support for aid to the Palestinian people and government.
CONTACT your Representative and two Senators with this message:
I urge you to support the supplemental aid requested by President Bush
for infrastructure and economic assistance for the Palestinians in the West
Bank and Gaza.
The Palestinian election of President Mahmoud Abbas was rightly commended by
Congress as a positive step toward a peaceful resolution of the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Now it is essential for Congress to provide
timely assistance to the new Palestinian Government and to the Palestinian
people. Assistant Secretary of State David Satterfield has testified that
past aid was characterized by complete transparency and accountability.
Congress must not delay the aid by attaching burdensome restrictions and
conditions. The Palestinian people need relief now from their current
humanitarian and economic situation of crisis and despair if they are to
have hope that a political resolution of the conflict is possible.
Regarding the aid that would be used by Israel to build high-tech terminals
in the separation barrier, I urge you to make sure that American funding
only pays for construction along the Green Line and not on crossing points
inside the West Bank.
Email your Senators:
http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm
Email your Representatives:
http://www.house.gov/writerep/
The subject line in your email should be "Support Aid to the Palestinians in
the Supplemental." Representatives that are members of the Appropriations
Committee are particularly important. (...)
Details of the FY04 supplemental budget request as provided by Lara Friedman
of Americans for Peace Now:
$200 million in Economic Support Funds (ESF) for the Palestinians, composed
of:
A. $60 million for economic revitalization post-disengagement. All projects
to be implemented by U.S.-selected contractors or private voluntary
organization (PVO). Funding includes:
- $15 million to support production and marketing of Palestinian agriculture
and agribusiness, including transfer and development of agricultural assets
in Gaza;
- $24 million for trade promotion and capacity building to enable
Palestinian businesses to gain access to international markets;
- $1 million to finance home construction in Gaza; and
- $20 million for job creation through infrastructure development with an
emphasis on the construction of schools and community centers.
B. $90 million to developing the economic, social, political, and security
infrastructure for a future Palestinian State. All projects to be
implemented by U.S.-selected contractors or private voluntary organization
(PVO) except for Road Construction and Rehabilitation, which will be
implemented by US-selected contractor and local construction firms; Vaccine
program, to be implemented by UNICEF; and Food program, to be implemented by
World Food Program (WFP). This includes:
- $50 million for basic infrastructure development including road
construction and rehabilitation and the construction of pipelines to provide
clean drinking water;
- $16 for democratic reform and rule of law programs such as training
judges, formation of commercial courts, and work with the newly elected
legislature and municipal officials to build an empowered and
independent legislative branch;
- $3 million for support for Palestinian efforts to confront terror and
violence and restore the rule of law, including equipping and training PA
civilian security services, under the leadership of new Security
Coordinator General William Ward;
- $8 million for expanding education opportunities with an emphasis on
vocational training and skill development; and
- $13 million for provision of social services to the poor to meet emergency
needs in the areas of health care and food aid.
C. $50 million to improve the flow of people and goods in and out of Israel.
Details of the program are to be determined.
Formed in 1984, Churches for Middle East Peace is a Washington-based program
of the Alliance of Baptists, American Friends Service Committee, Antiochian
Orthodox Archdiocese of America, Catholic Conference of Major Superiors of
Men's Institutes, Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Church of the
Brethren, Church World Service, Episcopal Church, Evangelical Lutheran
Church in America, Franciscan Mission Service, Friends Committee on National
Legislation, Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, Maryknoll Missioners,
Mennonite Central Committee, National Council of Churches, Presbyterian
Church (USA), Reformed Church in America, Unitarian Universalist
Association, United Church of Christ, and the United Methodist Church (GBCS
& GBGM) . For further information, see www.cmep.org
Contributions to CMEP are tax deductible and can be made by check or on
www.cmep.org by secure, on-line credit card service.
Churches for Middle East Peace
110 Maryland Ave NE, #311
Washington, DC 20002
Telephone (202) 543-1222
www.cmep.org
---- ---- ---- ----
If you have received this bulletin directly from us, it is because you
subscribed to the ELCA Middle East Networking List. Please forward this
bulletin to others who are interested in a just peace for Palestine and
Israel.
To Join (or Leave) this List, go to www.elca.org/middleeast.
Ann Hafften
Coordinator for Middle East Networking
Division for Global Mission, ELCA
www.elca.org/middleeast
800-638-3522, ext. 6466
---End of Forwarded Message---
| Yahoo! Groups Sponsor | |
|
|
Yahoo! Groups Links
- To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/VTJP/
- To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
- Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.
