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Friday, March 18, 2005
AIPAC on the VERGE, Tom DeLay Ensnarls Peace Aid
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CNI Info Alert
March 18, 2005
The Jewish newspaper the Forward reported this week that two senior officials of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, the pro-Israel lobby, have been given a paid leave of absence from their jobs. They are Steve Rosen, head of AIPAC's research department, and Keith Weissman, its deputy director of foreign policy issues.
Both men had been questioned by the FBI in connection with the Larry Franklin case. Franklin is suspected of passing classified documents to AIPAC, which passed it on to Israel, and is the subject of a six-month continuing investigation.
The Forward assumes that the paid leave of absence is an effort by the organization to cover itself for the indictments that are looming. David Corn of The Nation on his blog has been suggesting that the case would blow open very soon.
Meanwhile, according to another report in the Forward, AIPAC is reported to have "brokered a deal" on Capitol Hill last week, resulting in the passing in the House of an aid package to the Palestinians that would disallow direct aid to the Palestinian Authority. The pro-Israel lobby had been put in good light by none other than Tom DeLay (R-TX), who announced that he would axe all aid whatsoever to Palestine if severe restrictions on how it was spent were not put in place - and defying both Condoleezza Rice and President Bush. The package that passed - the $200 million as requested by President Bush - is to be used for the construction of "high-tech crossing points," job creation, home and school construction, institution building and road works.
In the past, aid to Palestine included a "national security" waiver, which allowed the President to provide aid if it was in the interest of national security. Emergency aid could be provided without special Congressionally placed rules and regulations.
DeLay, as is well known, is a Christian Zionist, and he not only opposes the Gaza disengagement and but also any effort to remove the Jewish colonies from the West Bank, which he believes is part of ancient Israel.
What the "brokered deal" means is that aid to Palestine will continue to be channeled through the United States Agency for International Development. Millions of dollars have been allocated to USAID projects but left unspent, because few foreign organizations have the financial controls necessary to meet USAID standards. Apparently, Congress is uninterested in speeding aid to Palestine at this critical time, despite the President's wishes.
What the package also contains is a requirement that the funds spent be audited twice. This is a bonanza for American audit companies.
The package passed by the House now proceeds to the Senate.
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posted by Somebody @ 6:32 PM Permanent Link
 
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