Subscribe to Common Dreams News Updates
Most Popular This Week
Popular content
Today's Top News
Clinton: US Gaza Aid Tied to Recognition of Israel
Some $900 million pledged by the United States to the Palestinians will be withdrawn if the expected Palestinian Authority coalition government between Fatah and Hamas does not recognize Israel's right to exist, Western and Israeli diplomats said Wednesday.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton gestures during a news conference after a Gaza aid conference at the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheik, Egypt, March 2, 2009. Clinton took a hard line against the Islamist group Hamas on Monday, saying $900 million in U.S. aid for the Palestinians was part of broader efforts for Arab-Israeli peace. (Reuters/Asmaa Waguih/Egypt) During her visit to the region last week Secretary of State Hillary Clinton warned Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas against forming a coalition with Hamas that will not meet the expectations of the Quartet.
Clinton told Abbas that Congress will not approve funding of a Palestinian government that does not recognize Israel's right to exist and renounce violence. She added that if those requirements are not met the U.S.-funded program under the supervision of General Keith Dayton training PA security forces would be the first to be axed.
Fatah and Hamas are currently engaged in talks intended to reestablish ties between the Palestinian factions that were severed two years ago when Hamas forcibly took over the Gaza Strip, routing Fatah-backed PA security forces.
Clinton discussed the issue of forming a Palestinian coalition with Fatah representatives, who told her that the new government would consist of non-affiliated officials whose chief task will be to prepare the Palestinian territories for new general elections.
She reportedly told the officials she believed holding new elections was secondary to building the bureaucracy of the Palestinian Authority. The Obama administration is adamant in maintaining the previous U.S. presidential administration's position of boycotting Hamas. Two weeks ago Clinton said lifting the boycott would damage attempts to reach peace in the region.
French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner recently supported an initiative aimed at easing sanctions against Hamas. Qatari Prime Minister Hamad bin Jassim bin Jabir al-Thani is also trying to promote dialogue between the West, Arab states and Hamas.
Two weeks ago Clinton met with a number of Arab foreign ministers at the conference held at Sharm el-Sheikh aimed at raising donations for the rehabilitation of the Gaza Strip, whose infrastructure was badly damaged during Israel's operation there earlier this year. Talks between the U.S. diplomat and her Arab counterparts focused on means of distributing money to Palestinians in Gaza.
During negotiations Clinton insisted that the money be placed solely under the Palestinian Authority's supervision and strongly rejected offers by Arab states that they assume responsibility for distribution of the funds. In total, a record $4.4 billion was raised at Sharm, with Saudi Arabia making the largest single donation of $1 billion. The donations greatly exceeded the PA's expectations of raising $2.5 billion total. Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit said the total figure comes to $5.2 billion.
- Posted in



55 Comments so far
Show AllTHE ILLUSTRATION
HilLIEariously gesturing at the future size of the Gaza strip …
Namaste
It reminds me of the "Kids in the Hall" skit of that crazy guy who wants to squish the heads of random strangers...
As usual, the U.S. talks peace and makes demands that the other side will never accept. If you want peace, make the hard choices necessary. This offer will be rejected. The U.S. and Israel know that. Will they recognize Hamas as the government of the Palestinian people? Goes both ways. Try the latter and maybe Hamas will reciprocate.
Hamas isn't the government of the Palestinian people, it was the party elected to majority status. There's a difference. Is the Democratic party our government?
AIPAC, apparently, is our government.
Haha, more like our State Department.
Hillary should ask Israel to officially recognize Palestine first! Also, Hillary, the new AIPAC whore, should ask Israel to declare all their WMDs and define their international borders (Something that has been very elastic).
Well Israel recognizes the Palestinian Authority as a legitimate negotiating partner...does any country actually recognize Palestine as a sovereign state yet, even Arab countries? Are there embassies in the West Bank or Gaza, ambassadors exchanged?
Are you a trying very hard to obfuscate the issue at hand? Where is your cohort Joe Hopeless? Buffoon!
I'm asking you an honest question schmuck. Why are you resorting to personal insults to dodge questions? Either back up your rhetoric, or stop spouting it.
Allright Schmuck! The Palestinian authority is not the legitimate representative of the people. It does not matter what Israel considers legitimate. The whole world knows this, except maybe you and the other like minded zionist buffoons.
The rest of your questions shows clearly that you are trying to head this topic off to a different tangent!
Considering that Israel has to negotiate with the Palestinians, it kind of *does* matter what Israel considers legitimate. And uh I was agreeing that the PA *is* the legitimate representative of Palestinians...just that it's not recognized as the government of a sovereign state. And I truly was not sure if any other countries recognized Palestine as a sovereign state yet, I'm assuming you're saying they haven't.
So, I'm guessing it's not just US Congresmen that have their lips glued to Israel's ass! AIPAC triumphs though acts of legislation. We need a website totally dedicated to keeping our eye on the legislation that AIPAC is attempting to push through the US Congress.
The same way the Kyl Amendement was defeated-other acts of legislation can be defeated, too. AIPAC may own American politicians, but they do not own American voters and taxpayers-and I believe many people in the US would like to see AIPAC out of the way. Every revolution starts somewhere. We need to take on AIPAC. Big time! The Kyl Amendment went down in flames-this truly needs to be the beginning of something beautiful. We need to break Israel's choke-hold on the US political system. No time like the present!
Maybe Hillary's gesture is how much accountability AIPAC has. After the disaster of the Iraq War, you would think their influence would have been pared back. Here's a toast to your thought about the present. Why should the tapped out American citizen pay for Israel's devastation of Gaza? Why not make the token gesture of taking the $900 million out of the money we give Israel? You know, let them take pay for their own policy. We paid for Lebanon. We pay for the bombs and we pay for the clean up. Not only was there no downside to Israel as far as our foreign policy, but we actually increased their military aid last year or the year before by 25%. When we were talking with Saudi Arabia about selling them some weapons we had to increase Israel's war budget.
The day HAMAS legally recognizes Israel, is the day they legally give up title to all the lands stolen from them AND land that will be stolen from them in the future.
Israel will not even declare its borders. Recognize those non-declared borders and they will then say That Hamas and the Paelstinians surrendered all rights to any land Israel claims as theirs.
Again picture someone moving into your home, claiming it theirs and forcing you to live in a garage. They then say "WE will NOT recoginize your right to live in that Garage UNLESS you recognize our right to have kicked you out of your house and unless you acknowledge that house now belongs to us"
Funny how demands are always made of the Palestinians and never of our 51st state. I'm sure Stewart or Colbert could have fun with Hillary's gesture.
The caption to this photo reads as follows:
HILLARY CLINTON: "Yes, I can tell you first hand that Bill's erection is about that big."
Ugh. Again with the lie that "the Arabs refuse to recognize Israel's right to exist."
EVEN HAMAS has agreed to "recognize Israel" WITHIN ITS LEGAL BORDERS:
http://www.ynet.co.il/english/articles/0,7340,L-3249568,00.html
That brings them in line with THE ENTIRE REST OF THE WORLD which says that Israel has a "right to exist" INSIDE ITS LEGAL (pre-1967) BORDERS. Everyone except the US and Israel holds that position.
And about the "right to exist"... this is about humiliating the Palestinians, it's not a real condition, it's about rubbing faces in dirt.
No nation recognizes any other nation's "right to exist". Nation-states don't do that. Since 1776, Britain has never recognized the United States' "right to exist".
EVEN SO, the Palestinians and every Arab government have agreed to this nonsense condition and STILL, it's presented in our media as if they were holding out "recognition" just to be spiteful, intractable crazy Muslims who have an irrational hatred of Jews.
Great points. Now that the question has arisen, however, maybe we should take a look at it. Maybe it's time for them to disappear.
To my mind, the time for discussion about the pros and cons of Israeli society is at an end. The time for historical-psychological theories about how the tribe of Israel got to be such a malignancy is over, and a state of war has replaced a state of reasonable dialog. I don't own an Uzi, but I own a big mouth that frequently laments Israel's existence. My hope is that what goes around does come around, and that eventually the massacre in Gaza, like a boomeranging pharoahic curse, will return to its sender.
All I want is for them to get back to their borders. If we wish Israeli citizens to live in peace- and I do- then we need to stop their government's self-defeating, irrational policies. I certainly hope Israeli leaders are held to account, but to me the first priority is the safety of the innocent civilians of Israel, West Bank, and Gaza, and the one thing that will help protect all of them is for Israel to get back to its borders.
www.IfAmericansKnew.org
Wasn't the Gaza invasion supported by something like 80% of the Israeli population? If the innocent civilians of Israel want to live within their legitimate borders, who is stopping them?
scum
In short: we'll make them an offer they can't refuse.
· Yr Obd't Servant
sierra7
I don't think I can "top" the above description by Hilary of her husband's "you know what"!!!!
What is important to remember is that the US and Israel are only interested in a, "peace process" not in peace itself between the Palestinians and Israel. Only important to show the world (who no longer either) that "they are working 'towards' peace."
Hilary is to continue the hate mongering towards the Palestinians; remember when Obama did his genuflection speech to AIPAC shortly after being elected president????
And, the unfortunate thing is that so many Americans believe our government and Israel's side of the story.....
We are a disgrace.
sierra7
I don't think I can "top" the above description by Hilary of her husband's "you know what"!!!!
What is important to remember is that the US and Israel are only interested in a, "peace process" not in peace itself between the Palestinians and Israel. Only important to show the world (who no longer either) that "they are working 'towards' peace."
Hilary is to continue the hate mongering towards the Palestinians; remember when Obama did his genuflection speech to AIPAC shortly after being elected president????
And, the unfortunate thing is that so many Americans believe our government and Israel's side of the story.....
We are a disgrace. And, so will Hilary as the new Secty of State.
Exactly!
A "peace process" while they continue to build settlements and ethnically cleanse the region of every last Arab. Then "peace" will be declared.
Do these elites (whose shit, no doubt doesn't even stink) take us, and the Palestinian People for imbeciles!
That is the worst thing about the Zionists and their US friends, is how they so insult our intelligence and dignity with their transparently cynical behavior.
---USAn---
"[T]he worst thing about the Zionists and their US friends, is how they so insult our intelligence and dignity with their transparently cynical behavior."
No, "the worst thing" is how well it works.
Yes, worse in effectively blocking honest, open, crucial, and morally mandated discussion -- and then appearing to be there only in the capacity to fight straw man anti-Semitism ( which they themselves breed ).
Yes transparent, as in disappearing from our radar and blending in with subtle camouflage.
Just to clarify, since this comes up again and again, there is no such thing as a "right to exist" in international law or even diplomatic parlance. It is strictly a rhetorical device that can mean whatever the speaker wants it to mean - hardly a thing that the Palestinians can formerly agree to.
And the idea that the Palestnians must unilaterally "renounce violence" absent ANY other concessions by Israel is just ludicrous. Is IsrealUSA so blind in their arrogance that they cannot see how preposerous this demand is?
Let's see... it's 1919 in Ireland, King George V demands that the IRA unilaterally "renounce violence" while the British offer nothing, except vague promises, while they escalate their massive occupation. The IRA/Sinn Fein issues a statement: "Please let us have a Republic" and the British unilaterally and quietly leave Irish soil.
Or,
It's late 1776 in the 13 British American colonies and news of the D.O.I. arrives at the British Parliament. George III insists that Gorge Washington "renounces violence" while redcoats and foreign mercenaries arrive daily to occupy the cities and countryside. George Washington agrees, and the redcoats simply get up and leave as fast as the ships can come to pick them up.
---USAn---
Yes, that's why I totally ignore idiots who say Israel's "right to exist" has been revoked. And agreed, renouncing violence is a huge joke. It is the right, even the duty, of people everywhere to rebel against oppression, violently if necessary. Just because Israel is the oppressor does not mean the Palestinians can't use violence to free themselves from oppression, but unfortunately that's how most people in this country see it. Not to mention, under international law, governments have the sole monopoly on authoritative use of violence...but I don't know how that applies to a government that's not of a sovereign state. And yes, the American Revolution and its underlying ideals, principles, and political theories are the basis for my views on the right to resist.
Hillary is just pretending to have some sympathy for the Gaza victims right now but she certainly remembers who brought her to the dance in the US Senate from New York so I wouldn't count on her to weigh in. There are dots which need to be connected. Hillary is a tool which links to Madoff and Abramoff. There is a huge conspiracy waiting to be exposed:
Politics! Politics! Politics! The Israel Lobby>> Rahm Emmanuel>> Jack Abramoff>> Susan Ralston>>Harriet Myers>>Karl Rove>>Andrew Card>> Karen Hughes>>Netanyahoo>>Ariel Sharon>> George W. Bush >>>>>>Bernie Madoff. The Madoff money was fueling Israel. None of this is going to be investigated because Bernie Madoff was the National Treasurer of the American Jewish Congress which sends funds to the World Jewish Congress with its headquarters located in Geneva. The WJC is the "diplomatic arm of the Jewish people".
Geneva is the home of the United Bank of Switzerland which is the most important large bank on earth and holds the secret accounts of all of the worlds' thieves. Bernie's missing money is likely at UBS except for the chump change $47 Million dollars his wife kept. All of these people have been working together to make sure that Israel never runs out of bombs and bullets and Bernie Madoff and Jack Abramoff made sure during the Bush administration that the ocean of money stolen went mostly to Israel and what did not is still in Geneva in secret numbered Swiss bank accounts until it is drawn against to buy tanks to kill Palestinians, Syrians, and Lebanese by the Israeli government. This is the way the world works, pure and simple.
These folks never seem to have enough money but now Bernie only has to give the numbers to Ehud Olmert... The World Jewish Congress is actually active in helping Geneva keep the accounts and their contents secret against the claims of the US Internal Revenue Service which recently won a judgment of allowing the US Treasury to recover $750 million dollars in February. The IRS knows there is more there but the only way that would happen is if we were to invade Switzerland.
The legal battles take years and none of this will be worked out until Obama's daughters graduate from college. At least the Israeli's are happy to be insulated protected from a Democrat US president who traditionally tends to feel some sympathy for the Palestinians. With Emmanuel working for the POTUS this is somewhat cloudy but Ehud Olmert and Shimon Peres can rest assured that this Democratic administration will not do anything to make Israel stop the killing and the maiming.
Money! Money! Money!
michael jordan
http://sites.google.com/site/apolloguide/
Threatening palestinians in the media obviously shows just how desperate the Obama administration and Israelis are.
There were no retarded ulimatums when this was first announced a couple of weeks ago, but now all of a sudden there are. It should be clear that the zionist lobby and special interests were involved with these threats. It's a shame that Obama, who touts change, should bend over and wear Israeli kneepads not only to get into office, but to stay there. Unless, of course, he actually believes all that nonesense!
If the Obama adminstration can cut funding to some of the world's poorest and enthnically cleansed people then we, the Citizens of the USA, should cut off ALL funding for Israel until they stop mass murdering entire populations just because they think they are the CHOSEN PEOPLE and that someone is squatting on their land.
If the Obama administration keeps up these dog and pony shows then he better be ready to accept his tenure in the Middle East will be a complete miserable failure.
The $900 Million will be used to purchase new M1 Abrams Tanks for the Israeli Death Forces.
But the tanks will first be classified as 'surplus' by an israeli american in 'procurement' at the "Defense Departement," thus the nine hundred mill will have ten times it's real purchasing power for our Israeli 'Allies'. (Of course, America eats the cost of the falsely classifed as surplus hardware too.)
The Tanks, bought with the Gaza Aid money, should be ready to start firing on Palestinian Children and their Mothers while they sleep by Late Spring.
Joe.
She's grown witches hands.
She seems to see Gaza as a dog training exercise. Beat them severely, then tell them they must renounce their democratically elected leaders and lick the hands of their tormenters before they get their treat. I don't know why the Palestinians and others don't just tell her to go sodomize herself.
Keep repeating the Big Lie.
Many of you know that TV evangelists and the religious right are throwing their support behind the fulfillment of the biblical prophesy of a "greater Israel" for the "chosen people"; It's all over daytime religious TV broadcasts. And they now have their own TV and radio stations, often the only ones with crystal clear reception in rural areas.
According to evangelist Les Feldick, Greater Israel will extend from the Mediterranean, east to the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers and south to the Red Sea. Isn't it convenient that that piece of real estate has recently become available. What a clever strategy our idiot Bush fell for.
Continued chaos in the middle east is essential for Israel's continued expansion. There is, after all, no justification for invading, killing, and occupying a neighboring nation you are at peace with. Peace does not serve Zionist goals, only continued conflict.
It will take another 50 or 100 years of continued killing and destruction for Israel to acquire it's promised lands.
There's hardly a politician in Washington that is not fearful of AIPAC, including the president. A stand against Israel's crimes would most certainly be his martyrdom, worthy or not. Perhaps he is clever enough to trick Israel into incriminating itself and exposing the real motives to the blind American sheep, but this does not seem likely until this country moves beyond a religious majority.
I'm still waiting for Israel to say where its borders are . . . and to stay within those borders.
Let's hope you are not holding your breath while doing so.
I don't think there is even a board to stay in ..
who draws the boards ?
does anyone know ?
yazan
Archery Bows
Waiting for Israel to declare its borders is like waiting for it to stop living off US welfare.
Aint gonna happen.
Interesting that what is happening now is exactly as Charles Lindbergh described in the late 30s-warning of jewish media control and fanning war flames(although he also said Nazi Germany was peaceful, good one Charles).
I used to think antisemitism was simply hatred but its clear from recent events, as well as what's happening in Europe with people being unable to even question numbers in WW2, that it has some basis in fact.
Even HG Wells talked about the dangers of jewish ethnocentrism and Chosen people supremacy myths.
The photograph of Secretary of State Hillary clinton accompanying this article shows Clinton demonstrating just how much illegally occupied land Israel will give back to the Palestinians as well as the size of Netenyahau's brain.
Thanks. I had mistakenly assumed she was illustrating how much humanity she still retained.
What about Israel recognizing Palestine and the rights of Palestinians? I guess that'll happen about the same time they serve Pina Colada's in hell. Desn't anybody in the U.S. govenrment have the balls to stand up to a bunch of kosher sucking fascists?
Now If the US will just tie aid to Israel on their recognizing Palestine's "Right to Exist" by having Lykud eliminate "There will never be an independent Palestine State in Israel" in their Charter AND renouncing violence, then we would be getting somewhere toward Peace.
Hillary Clinton is a Pimp, for her Zionists Johns, just like the rest of the members of Congress who sold out our country to the murdering Zionists. When will this country wake up and vote these scum bags out of office.
Doctor,
I think you're looking for Clinton whores for her pimp Israel, she's in bed with Congress and F****** America too.
Joe.
This article fails to mention that international law does not recognize a "right to exist" for Israel or for any other nation, group or individual.
That's because "right to exist" = HUBRIS = INSANITY
_____ Israel needs real balance now,
_____ like "left to exist" on its own
Namaste
Hillary Clinton knows she's a con, criminal kind, and knows she's in ranks, or in a league, in which people like her, which means on both "left" and "right", given they're basically [merged], well, she and they know they are protected; because they all work for the same sort of merged "bosses", who have "special" interests that we are told are U.S. national interests, specifically including national security. They also all know that the law enforcement forces, "justice" system, etcetera, are obedient to their masters and not to their real employers, who are The People. They know they've very much and basically completed the fascist coup d'etat project that was plotted against President FDR and which former USMC Major General Smedley Butler exposed after they had approached him to try to get him to lead the military to implement this planned coup and after which Congress received Gen. Butler's testimony, but for matter of convenience to not inconvience the specially interested parties covered up most of the key plotters, who were of the rich "elites" of the USA and who were vehemently opposed to economic fairness and therefore justice in the USA.
How's that for a long-winded sentence, eh?
She knows that she and ilk are all guilty as per above and more, only pretending to be innocent, and "man" is she a lousy actress; because her act is phony and very obviously so, well, except for [naive] people who in infantile ways want to believe these fascists, corporatists, ... criminals of highest of orders instead are innocent, good, ... people (when they really are diabolically [rotten] and much to the core it is).
It's easy to see, but I guess many still refuse to do so.
She and they know damn well what they're doing, that they break every important law on the books, ... etcetera. They don't do this accidentally or ignorantly; they do it wittingly and only deny that they're guilty, with totally [empty] words.
They definitely know that Hamas hasn't blatantly refused to recognise Israel's existence, for they know that Hamas said the organisation and party in power elected by the Palestinians would recognise Israel, but only on the Just and essential condition that Israel recognise Palestine and Palestinians, and therefore cease its wars of aggression, so against peace, criminal and brutal occupations of Palestinian territory, and so on. They know it's not Hamas that's an obstacle in this, because they know that it is they and the Israeli leadership that constitute the obstacle, aggressor, genocidal criminals, etcetera. They know they are guilty as hell!
Let's not be so naive as to believe for even a second that they are ignorant about any of these above things, matters, or features; realities.
This woman is obviously mad. What oppressed people, who have seen their land stolen from them, have been forced to live in an Apartheid system, have been jailed and murdered and forced into exile, can possibly "recognize" their oppressors and accept that status quo?
-----------------------------------------
What Is Marxism? - a short primer on a subject the working class needs to know.
http://www.marxist.com/Theory/what_is_marxism.html