Palestinians Fear For Foreign Aid
From The Scotsman:
MAHMOUD Abbas, the Palestinian president, and the leaders of Hamas yesterday appealed to foreign donors not to cut vital aid to the territory when a new government is formed by the Islamic militant group.Oopsy. Did we forget to mention that Democracy isn't always nice and tidy? It's really a rather nasty business where your decisions in the voting booth sometimes bite you in ass.
The EU is the biggest foreign donor to the Palestinians, giving £340 million a year. The US provides about £220 million.I think the problem, Mr. Haniyeh, is that we understand your priorties all too well.
The senior Hamas leader in Gaza, Ismail Haniyeh, urged foreign donors not to cut funding.
"We call on you to understand the priorities of our Palestinian people at this stage and continue the spiritual and financial support in order to push the region towards stability rather than pressure and tension," Mr Haniyeh said.
Jack Straw, the Foreign Secretary, told the meeting of EU ministers: "We have an opportunity to pause and think about it. The responsibility and onus is now on Hamas to renounce violence - they have to make a certain decision if they want a normal relationship with the EU."Amen, Mr. Straw, amen.
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