Another American-funded tyrant

People often criticize the United States for supporting and financing brutal dictatorships, and here's one of the worst examples imaginable. This time, though, you won't hear the Bush-is-Hitler mob complaining about it:

The White House has decided to provide direct funding to the Palestinian Authority for social service projects, Bush administration and congressional officials said yesterday. The decision marks an important shift in U.S. policy designed to bolster the new Palestinian prime minister and offer a counterweight to services provided by militant organizations such as Hamas.

The initial funding is relatively small -- $20 million -- but its symbolic value is much greater. In the past, successive administrations and congressional restrictions had limited aid to the Palestinians to indirect channels, such as the United Nations or nongovernmental organizations (NGOs). President Bush will claim a waiver from congressional restrictions, officials said.

I'd love to see how the Palestinians define "social service projects".

Meanwhile, the entire world seems to have swallowed whole the Palestinian "release all our prisoners" demand, as though Hamas and Islamic Jihad will be so grateful about getting their killers back that they'll stop fighting for a Judenrein Islamic theocracy. Has President Bush lost his mind? Have everybody lost their minds?

Posted by damian at July 9, 2003 01:17 PM