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Daily Star – December 23, 2006
Bush inks law blocking aid to Hamas govt
US President George W Bush signed a law Thursday banning US aid to Hamas, aiming to isolate the radical Islamic group which controls the Palestinian government but refuses to recognise Israel.
The "Palestinian Anti-Terrorism Act of 2006," Bush said in a statement, is "designed to promote the development of democratic institutions in areas under the administrative control of the Palestinian Authority."
The law declares it the policy of the United States to avoid any contact with Hamas and other organizations Washington has labeled terrorist until they recognize Israel's right to exist, renounce terrorism, dismantle their militias and recognize and abide by previous agreements and understandings between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Palestinian Authority.
While the text cites aid to the Palestinian Authority, it is targeted at Hamas, which won control of the authority in March 2006 following elections.
It allows aid to continue to activities of Palestinian Authority President Mahmud Abbas, whose Fatah group has been in street battles with Hamas activists for the past two weeks.
Washington wants to push Hamas into accepting Israel's right to exist as a basis for the "roadmap" plan for peace between the two sides.
"This legislation reflects our continued concern over the failure of the current government to renounce violence and terror, recognize Israel, and respect its previous agreements and obligations," said a senior administration official.
http://www.thedailystar.net/2006/12/23/d61223130196.htm
Time Magazine - Dec. 22, 2006
America's double standard on democracy
in the Middle East
Viewpoint: What's good for Beirut is not good for Gaza, according to Washington's playbook. And that discrepancy undermines the credibility of U.S. claims to be promoting democracy in the region
In Lebanon as in Gaza, democratically elected governments are being challenged by political opponents demanding fresh elections — and in each place, the standoff threatens to spark a civil war. Yet, the response of the U.S. and Britain to each crisis has been so different as to provoke accusations of double-standards and questions about the West's commitment to democracy in the Arab world.
In Lebanon, the beleaguered U.S.-backed government of Prime Minister Fouad Siniora, which took power in July 2005, is resisting an opposition drive led by the militant Hizballah, to hold new parliamentary elections. Hizballah supporters and their allies have held a mass sit-in in Beirut since Dec. 1, paralyzing the city center. The White House accuses Hizballah, which is backed by Iran and Syria, of attempting a "coup" against a democratically elected government.
But in Gaza, the roles are reversed: Last week, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called for new elections after talks broke down with the rival Hamas movement over forming a national unity government. Hamas, which took the reins of government after winning elections in January, rejected Abbas's call — and, in an ironic echo of the White House, accused the Palestinian president of plotting a "coup" against a government elected to office until 2010. Indeed, legal experts question whether Abbas has the constitutional authority to call new elections.
Unlike in Lebanon, of course, the U.S. and Britain are backing the opposition in Gaza, declaring that Abbas' move is a step toward peace between the Palestinians and Israel. Despite Hamas's democratic victory at the polls in January, the West has imposed a blockade on financial aid to the Palestinian Authority because Hamas refuses to recognize Israel. British Prime Minister Tony Blair, on a tour of the Middle East, appealed to the international community to back the Palestinian president, hailing Abbas as a leader of "moderation and tolerance."
This apparent double-standard in the West's stances on Lebanon and on Gaza has not gone unnoticed by Arab commentators. "How could the U.S. support the democratically elected government in Lebanon and do just the opposite in Palestine?" asked Talal Salman, the publisher of Lebanon's As-Safir newspaper…..
So, while the Bush Administration continues talk the talk of promoting democracy in the Middle East, many in the Arab world have a jaundiced view of Washington's intentions: Democracy, yes, but only when the outcome serves the interests of the U.S.
http://www.time.com/time/world/printout/0,8816,1572574,00.html
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