Subscribe to our daily e-mail newsletter

E-mail:

Israel News Feed Or subscribe to our RSS feed | What is RSS?
Israel News from Jerusalem Newswire
America in the Middle East

Rice not finding many allies in Middle East

US effort to thwart funding of Hamas Authority hits brick wall


By Ryan Jones
February 23, 2006

Washington is finding it difficult to convince its so-called ?allies? in the Arab world to stop financing what is now a recognized and unabashed terrorist entity ? the Hamas Authority.

Cairo, Riyadh and the rest all signed on for the US-led effort against Osama bin Laden's Al Qaeda, but the equally fanatical and virulent Hamas is apparently a different story.

What's the difference? While Al Qaeda presents as much a threat to the largely secular dictatorships of the Middle East as it does to Israel and the US, Hamas' primary goal is the eradication of the Jewish state - an objective America's friends in the region have long cultivated.

On the very first stop of her four-day Middle East tour aimed at cutting off financial aid to the Palestinian Authority following Hamas' electoral victory, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was rebuffed by her Egyptian counterpart.

Standing next to Rice at a joint press conference in Cairo Tuesday, Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit said:

"We should give Hamas time to develop their own ideas."

Gheit's comment smacked of the international news media's ongoing refusal to accept that Hamas is already deeply committed to its long-established core ideas of destroying Israel and forcing the region's Jews to live as second-class citizens as a first step towards global Islamic domination.

While Egypt does not provide the Palestinian Authority with any sizable financial aid, the Bush Administration saw signing Cairo up for its anti-Hamas campaign as important for two reasons:

  1. Egypt, as the largest Arab state, carries a lot of weight with the rest of the Arab world; and

    </li><li><p>The Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood ?
of which Hamas is an offshoot ? has already vowed to utilize its
global network to raise significant funds for its terrorist
brothers.</p>

Rice's next stop in Riyadh on Wednesday also ended in failure when her host, Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Prince Saud al Faisal, stated:

"We wish not to link the international aid to the Palestinian people to considerations other than their dire humanitarian needs."

Unnamed US officials involved in the discussions told the Associated Press that Riyadh intends to continue transferring about $15 million in monthly aid to the PA, regardless of who is in charge.

Rice is due to wrap up her trip in the United Arab Emirates, where her losing streak is expected to continue.

Like the article?
Help spread the word:
Jnewswire updates
Never miss another story
  • Inbox already too full?
    Subscribe to our
    RSS feed instead!