This one makes no sense at all. Maybe someone can explain it to me,
Rob?
Bush Gives Palestinians $20 Million
40 minutes ago Politics - Reuters
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Bush administration on Wednesday
announced it was giving $20 million in direct aid to the Palestinian
Authority (news - web sites) to help it through a financial crisis.
A senior Bush administration official said it hoped the aid would
encourage additional donations from other countries "at a time when
the Palestinian Authority is in desperate need of budget support to
pay its bills, maintain stability and allow it to focus on the
larger question of governing."
The Palestinian Authority is facing a severe financial crisis due to
falling tax revenues during four years of violence which has
paralyzed the Palestinian economy.
The $20 million in direct aid was to be announced during an
international donors conference for the Palestinians in Oslo.
It is part of a push to help the Palestinians before their Jan. 9
election, at which President Bush (news - web sites) hopes the
Palestinians will elect a democratic leader willing to negotiate
peace with Israel.
"The upcoming Palestinian elections have made a functioning
Palestinian Authority more important than ever," the official
said. "The United States has a national security interest in helping
to end the ongoing violence and terror in the Middle East and to
make progress toward the president's June 24, 2002, vision of
peace."
The money is to help pay utility services, including the payment of
arrears to Israeli utility companies.