 European diplomats say the US is blocking European Union (EU) plans to resume direct financial aid to the Palestinians.
| Good for us. Glad to see the national testicles are still in place. |
Funds would be channelled through the office of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, rather than the Hamas-led government, under a proposal by the EU's executive arm, the European Commission.
| This would no doubt be a special, non-fungible type of money, the kind that wouldn't free up such other money as Hamas has to be spent on arms and ammunition and importing more rockets from Iran. |
The Commission says sending money in this way for specific basic services, such as health and education, might avert or delay a collapse of the Palestinian Authority.
| And the downside of a collapse of the Paleostinian Authority is...? |
Like proposals floated by Britain and France, it says donors could establish a pool of funds in coordination with the United Nations, the World Bank or the International Monetary Fund. A European Commission document says Mr Abbas "could act as an interface between the international community and the Palestinian Authority."
| To what end?... Sorry. I meant, to what rational end? |
"He would, de facto, play the role of go-between for the international community," it says.
| You've got something resembling Somalia growing there, and the rest of the world is expected to take care of them while they indulge their collective penchant for mindless violence? |
The diplomats say the Bush administration has moved in recent days to scuttle the proposal on the grounds it would take pressure off Hamas to renounce violence, recognise Israel and abide by interim peace deals.
| More good sense from our side, even though it's nothing but a statement of the obvious. |
Hamas officials and some western diplomats say the US goal is to shore up Mr Abbas while making it impossible for the Palestinian Authority to function.
| Just because we've stated a goal doesn't mean it's really our goal. We always have a "real" goal, y'know, and it's always nefarious. |
The US and EU have cut off direct aid following Hamas's rise to power in January elections, in which it trounced Mr Abbas's Fatah faction.
| Which was busy doing Paleostinian things to each other — the usual shootouts, riots, and burning each other's houses down. |
They have placed no restrictions on aid going through Mr Abbas or his office. Meanwhile, a union representing Palestinian government employees says its members will go on strike later today because their salaries have not been paid for the past two months.
| Brilliant. Simply brilliant. Turnip blood is good for wind and limb. |
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