From CNN: U.S. offers aid to Abbas-led Palestinian government.
The United States joined the European Union on Monday in announcing its willingness to resume hundreds of millions of dollars in aid to the new Palestinian government led by President Mahmoud Abbas.The commitment of financial and political support follows last week's gunbattles between rival Palestinian factions that led to Hamas routing Fatah forces in Gaza loyal to Abbas and the crumbling of a Fatah-Hamas unity government.
In response, Abbas declared a state of emergency and appointed a new Cabinet of political independents based in the West Bank.
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said she spoke by phone with newly appointed Prime Minister Salam Fayyad on Monday. "I told him that the United States would resume full assistance to the Palestinian government and normal government-to-government contacts," Rice said.
Rice added that the United States will give up to $86 million to help build the government infrastructure, such as improving roads and providing drinking water. ...
President Bush called Abbas on Monday and pledged his support to the president and "those Palestinian moderates who are working to better the lives of Palestinians and work toward a Palestinian state living side by side in peace with Israel," National Security Council spokesman Gordon Johndroe said.
"Palestinian moderates"? It was Fatah's Abbas who refused to disarm Palestinian militant groups, including Hamas and the "armed wing" of his own party, even after continued terrorist attacks. It was Fatah terrorists who claimed joint responsibility with Hamas for the suicide-bombing mother who murdered four people. Abbas has called Israel the "Zionist enemy". It is Fatah whose name means "conquest" and whose logo still includes an AK-47 and a grenade.
There's so little difference between Hamas and Fatah that you can barely tell them apart: Fatah photo and Hamas photo. The only real difference is that Hamas is more open about its intent to destroy Isreal.
UPDATE -- June 21: From Spiegel: A Visit to Fatah's Torture Chamber. (via Little Green Footballs)
Posted by Forkum at June 18, 2007 03:22 PM
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