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| Israel-Palestine-Jordan |
| U.S. lawmaker blocks money for Palestinian forces |
| 2007-02-14 |
| A Bush administration request for $86 million in U.S. funds to help train and equip Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's security forces is being blocked by a U.S. lawmaker who has concerns about how the money might be used. "Early last week, I placed a hold on the $86 million," Rep. Nita Lowey, a New York Democrat, told Reuters on Tuesday. "It is imperative that we have a fuller understanding of exactly what the funding is for and what the situation is on the ground," said Lowey, who sits on the House Appropriations Committee, which controls U.S. funding for domestic and foreign projects. While Lowey said she had acted to hold up the money before last week's deal between Abbas and Hamas leaders to form a unity government, that agreement "raised additional questions." Lowey said she has asked the State Department to provide more information on how the $86 million would be used. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #9 Forward magazine didn’t call her “one of the engines of pro-Israel activity on Capitol Hill” for nuthin. |
| Posted by: DepotGuy 2007-02-14 12:05 |
| #8 yeah, it has to make you wonder if maybe it wasn't a good idea afterall, for reasons unclear. |
| Posted by: Shineger Unatle5424 2007-02-14 11:53 |
| #7 My surprise meter wiggled when I saw it was a Dem congresscritter. Kudos to Ms. Lowey for swimming against the current and asking a tough question. |
| Posted by: Seafarious 2007-02-14 10:05 |
| #6 Steve, you give the Paleos WAAAAY too much credit by calling them "men." |
| Posted by: BA 2007-02-14 09:37 |
| #5 Geez Louise. These dunderheads don't understand anything. Dear Ms Lowey, if we give them $86M to tend their duckies and chickies THAT THEY WOULD HAVE TO SPEND ANYWAY then they can spend their own $86M for nefarious purposes...it's called fungibility. |
| Posted by: AlanC 2007-02-14 09:00 |
| #4 Right, Steve - Hey, you wanna fight? Yeah. O.K., how 'bout you? Do you wanna fight? Yeah. O.K., you two guys fight! Musta been The Three Stooges. |
| Posted by: Bobby 2007-02-14 06:21 |
| #3 News of the blocked funding may result in a ceasefire...! How can this be a good thing? |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2007-02-14 04:05 |
| #2 I'd be willing to shovel barrows of money into the HamFat conflict, but that is only because I take a perverse delight in that sort of red-on-red squabbling. I know it's wrong - no man is an island, every man's death diminishes me - aw, who am I kidding. Hey, let's you and him fight! |
| Posted by: SteveS 2007-02-14 03:04 |
| #1 What in blazes is this country coming to? Who in their right mind would give these people ANY $$? |
| Posted by: Dave S 2007-02-14 01:25 |