Funding a civil war in Palestinian controled territory
http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2007/01/06/palestinians-hamas.html
Sunday, January 07, 2007
"Abbas also confirmed the United States is sending aid to boost the Palestinian security forces loyal to him. U.S. officials said Friday that President George W. Bush is asking Congress to provide $83 million US for those forces." CBC Online
When I wrote that the "Economic and Financial Blockade of the Palestinian people must be stopped" I wasn't calling for funding one side of a developing civil war.
Bush's decision to test the Democratic Party on the key question of the Palestinian people by requesting $83 million for Abbas's presidential military forces is a clear sign of Bush's continued contempt for any democratic outcomes in the middle east and possibly in the US. The timing is intriguing as the Democratic Party will be forced to quickly declare their position.
It is simply ridiculous to assert that a Hamas government is an ideal scenario for this territory, at this time. However, they won the election. Unlike in the United States where the executive is appointed by the President, in the Palestinian system the government reports to the legislature and is not led by the President Abbas. Where Bush is the commander in chief, no such clarity exists within the Palestinian authority. To fund an insurgent military against a democratic government in another territory is a path no democracy should go down; even though this will certainly not be the first time the United States has done this.
Given that Hamas has won a democratic election putting it in charge of the legislative and executive branches of government, to fund a military force led by Abbas is to encourage civil war against a democratic elected authority. This shortsighted policy can not be supported and I sincerely hope (but have little faith) that the Democrats turn down this new direction of the US Administration. It is very hard to know where the Democrats will go on this question, try this link to search the Democratic Party website for the Palestinian, you won't find much at all.
Here's also hoping that the strength of the opposition in the Canadian Parliament is enough to sink any plans Harper might have of following the Bush lead on this one. We'll have to watch this unfold.
Funding should be restored, a dialogue reopened, but monies flowing from other countries, as always should not be used to kill people or to destabilize what little democratic governance there is. No doubt this is a difficult delineation in this complex territory.
When I wrote that the "Economic and Financial Blockade of the Palestinian people must be stopped" I wasn't calling for funding one side of a developing civil war.
Bush's decision to test the Democratic Party on the key question of the Palestinian people by requesting $83 million for Abbas's presidential military forces is a clear sign of Bush's continued contempt for any democratic outcomes in the middle east and possibly in the US. The timing is intriguing as the Democratic Party will be forced to quickly declare their position.
It is simply ridiculous to assert that a Hamas government is an ideal scenario for this territory, at this time. However, they won the election. Unlike in the United States where the executive is appointed by the President, in the Palestinian system the government reports to the legislature and is not led by the President Abbas. Where Bush is the commander in chief, no such clarity exists within the Palestinian authority. To fund an insurgent military against a democratic government in another territory is a path no democracy should go down; even though this will certainly not be the first time the United States has done this.
Given that Hamas has won a democratic election putting it in charge of the legislative and executive branches of government, to fund a military force led by Abbas is to encourage civil war against a democratic elected authority. This shortsighted policy can not be supported and I sincerely hope (but have little faith) that the Democrats turn down this new direction of the US Administration. It is very hard to know where the Democrats will go on this question, try this link to search the Democratic Party website for the Palestinian, you won't find much at all.
Here's also hoping that the strength of the opposition in the Canadian Parliament is enough to sink any plans Harper might have of following the Bush lead on this one. We'll have to watch this unfold.
Funding should be restored, a dialogue reopened, but monies flowing from other countries, as always should not be used to kill people or to destabilize what little democratic governance there is. No doubt this is a difficult delineation in this complex territory.
Labels: anti-war, democracy, internal, leftist content creation, link, opinion, unfolding
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