WASHINGTON — US lawmakers warned the Palestinian leadership Wednesday that they could lose hundreds of millions of dollars in aid if they continue to seek recognition of statehood at the United Nations.“Should the Palestinians pursue their unilateralist course, the hundreds of millions of dollars in annual assistance that we have given them in recent years, will likely be terminated,” representative Howard Berman said.
“And that could well result in the collapse of the Palestinian Authority,” the influential Democrat told the committee.
| A Democrat warned the Paleos? That definitely twitched the surprise meter. |
“If the Palestinians continue on their current path, the question before this Congress will not be what portion of our aid will be cut, but rather what portion will remain,” Chabot said.
| How about, 'zero'? |
“Some of the programs that are up for cutting are actually in our interests and in the interests of Israel, such as the security programs,” said Abrams, who is now an expert at the Council on Foreign Relations think tank.
| Did his government time and now is getting his money, his lovely office and his resume in order for the next Pub administration... |
| Everything benefits Hamas. Especially giving the Paleos money... |
For this reason, he said, lawmakers should endorse a move to close the PLO office in the United States if the Palestinian UN bid goes ahead.
David Makovsky, a specialist at the Washington Institute for Near East Peace, also urged caution.
“A total suspension of assistance would certainly be warranted if the PA took a pre-meditated turn towards a third intifada ....but President (Mahmud) Abbas’s record strongly suggests that this is not his intent,” he said.
Policy makers must ask would would benefit from an aid cut-off, he argued.
“The group that stands to gain the most from a cut-off of US aid to the PA would be Hamas,” he said. “In stark contrast, the PA’s cooperation and security relationship with Israel over the last four years has produced real and favorable change.”