The Palestinian Authority’s accession into 15 international organizations and treaties, including joining the Geneva Convention, has sparked a US and Israeli outcry, with Congress saying they could revoke aid to Palestine over the matter.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas signed the treaties in response to Israel reneging on a release of prisoners last weekend, leading Congress to demand the Obama Administration take action against him to show “the only path to statehood is through a negotiated agreement with Israel.”
Palestinian accession into the conventions is largely meaningless since their territory remains under Israeli occupation, and was a symbolic move to show displeasure with Israel flouting the terms of the peace talks.
It still has Israeli officials livid about the matter, with Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein claiming the move was a “outrageous violation” of the deal for peace talks. Moves to sign international treaties actually are contrary to the peace talk deal, but since Israel reneged first on the prisoner release, it is debatable whether the talks even exist anymore.
In a case of effect preceding cause, at least rhetorically, Israel claimed they reneged on the prisoner agreement to punish the Palestinians for the conventions, even though the prisoners were supposed to be released Saturday and the PA didn’t apply to any of the convention until three days later, on Tuesday.
First off, what kind of support does the US give the PA and who benefits? I other words who cares if the traitors in congress cut it or not.
But the pressing question should be why the US congress is doing this, the PA is only trying to join international organizations. Is there anything to hide?
Actually, I believe that the aid to the Palestinians that USA gives goes directly to the Israelis. You know SOMEONE has to pay for the bulldozers that destroy their homes; SOMEONE has to pay to imprison them; and SOMEONE has to pay to destroy any tunnels through which humanitarian aid leaks through. I feel sure that these facts will be pointed out to any naive, over-reaching Congressman with desires to further "hurt" the Palestinians and further ingratiate himself to the AIPAC lobby by cutting any paltry funds to the Palestinians.
Good. Then nobody will pay Israel for the utilities it is obligated to supply to an occupied area. Then nobody will pay the American-trained PA police to serve as Israel's Quisling enforcers of the occupation.
Why should the US pay the costs of Israeli occupation, and call that aid to Palestinians?
idiots
Oh darn- so we cut aid to the Palestinians. Guess who is waiting in the wings to fill that void? Russia, China, maybe Iran- any of whom would love to swap nation-building in return for some choice real estate right on Israel's border. Cut US aid? Okay, we can do that- and watch billions of infrastructure contracts go to other nations' builders.
We threaten to cut aid, and that's perfectly fine- but in doing so we open the door for others and lock ourselves out.
This is the problem, When Israel says it's giving the OK to build more settlements in OCCUPIED LANDS we do NOTHING!! Palestinians say they're going to ask the UN to get involved and we complain! Why don't we go after the country that KNOWINGLY ATTACKED the USS LIBERTY!! Because it was ISRAEL!! and they even machine gunned life rafts put in the water for AMERICAN Survivors!!
oh yes the honest broker the US
Yum, been there before. Time to get to get on the wrong side of history