BtB July 2006: A pair of lawmakers active in U.N. reform efforts recently renewed criticism of the U.N. Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), which was set up in 1950 to assist Palestinian refugees but has since been accused of corruption and fostering terrorism against Israel. Sen. Norm Coleman (R-MN) said the United States should use financial leverage to persuade the agency to become more transparent about its finances. Noting that UNRWA employs thousands of Palestinians linked to terrorist groups, Rep. Mark Kirk (R-IL) said that funding the agency may violate federal law.
"That which is evil is evil, and that which is good is good."
Herb just sent me this "Breaking News" from YNet:
US pledges $85M in relief funds to PalestiniansThe US has pledged $85 million to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), to be allotted to the Palestinian people. Some $60 million are to be funneled to the Gaza Strip and $25 million to the West Bank.
I don't know if even Congress can stop this, but I'm calling my representative and senators immediately and letting them know in no certain terms that not a single American penny must go to Gaza while the Gazans are attacking an ally of the United States.
It's outrageous.
In March of this year, thirteen days after Palestinians viciously slaughtered eight of our innocent sons inside the Merkaz HaRav yeshiva, in the heart of Israel, Pres. Bush wrote a check to the Palestinians for $150 million dollars.
Western-backed Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad said it was "the largest sum of assistance of any kind to be transferred to the Palestinian Authority by any donor in one trench since the Palestinian Authority's inception (in 1994)."
If it looks very much like a reward, like blood money, to me... the how must HAMAS see it?
I will have no part of this.
The Palestinians have already received nearly $2 billion this year from the international community - most of it from the U.S. -- that is, from your pocket.
How much of that was spent on the kassam rockets, katyushas and grad missiles that are raining down on our brothers and sisters at this very moment?
Check out this "Voice of America" article by David Gollust of the State Department:
At a briefing for reporters in Crawford, Texas, where President Bush is spending the holidays, White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe said U.S. diplomacy is aimed not at a cease-fire in name only that could break down in days or weeks - but one that is lasting:"We have got to get a commitment from Hamas that they would respect any cease-fire and make it lasting and durable," said Johndroe. "And, so, until we can get that assurance - not the United states, but until Israel can get that assurance from Hamas -then we're not going to have a cease-fire that is worth the paper it's written on."
Johndroe said the President telephoned Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Salam Fayyad after having a briefing by teleconference on Gaza developments from his national security team.
He said Prime Minister Fayyad thanked Mr. Bush for the $85-million commitment of new U.S. humanitarian aid to Palestinians announced earlier in the day.
What, are they CRAZY?!
What possible motivation does HAMAS have to stop killing Jews, if all the while they're doing so, America is sending them TENS OF MILLIONS of our taxpayer dollars?
WE MUST ... SAY NO.
NOT A PENNY TO GAZA.
Write or Call your Representatives Now, and Keep Calling or Writing until they hear us.
House of Representatives here and Senate here.
If anybody has more or better ideas, or additional contact information, let me know.
--------------- UPDATE -----------------
By David Moriah, translated and forwarded by Steven Plaut, and then forwarded some more by Naomi Ragen:
'When our 16 year old son was murdered ten months ago together with seven of his friends, the TV screens of the world were filled with scenes of the yeshiva library filled with blood, together with scenes of the residents of Gaza dancing in celebration and flashing "V" signs to one another for victory, handing out candies and firing into the air in celebration.'I do not deny that the current scenes in Gaza bypass my human intellect and instead find their way to the basic primitive yearning for revenge. But even more so they satisfy the fundamental yearning for justice. And anyone living in this land knows that there will yet come more pictures of innocent Jewish blood and more pictures of Gaza Arabs celebrating.'Everyone knows that there lives amongst us a large community of citizens, and it includes members of the Knesset. They - in spite of occasional clickings of the tongue and even a condemnation here or there of the atrocities - clearly desire more mass murders of civilians and bloodshed to prove that there is no choice but to negotiate with the Hamas, not to defeat it, and capitulate to its demands.
'The media commentators will go back to explaining to us that the strong are the weak and that the weak are the strong and how the victims and casualties on our side make it necessary to negotiate with the Hamas.
Governments around the world pour out advice for us about how to calm things down and negotiate, while everyone on earth knows that in our place they would undertake the most destructive and violent retaliations without a shed of moderation or mercy for any poor women and children.
'Yet everyone is speaking about peace and no one is speaking about justice. It is time to stop the jabbering about peace and to address the question of justice.
I met a grandmother with healthy common sense who used to say: "That which is evil is evil, and that which is good is good."
Firing dozens of bullets at children studying in a yeshiva library is evil. Firing missiles for the purpose of killing civilians is evil. Causing agony to the families of the kidnapped is evil. And dancing for joy when innocent civilians are murdered by terrorists is evil.
On the other hand, taking measures to kill the murderer before he is able to kill civilians again is good. To demolish the home of a terrorist in order to deter is good. And expelling people who identify with the Gaza murderers and sending them to live in Gaza is VERY good and good things need to be done immediately, with no delay or ponderings
The darkness must be vanquished immediately...'
Amen, amen.
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