Israel offers medicines, PA demands cash

[Behind the Aegis]

Foreign minister meets with US assistant secretary of state, tells him Israel sought to aid Palestinians with medications worth NIS 50 million but was turned down
Ronny Sofer

Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni on Wednesday updated US Assistant Secretary of State David Welch that the Palestinians refused to receive aid in medications from Israel.

Livni told Welch that Israel sought to transfer to the Palestinian Authority medications worth NIS 50 million (about USD 11 million), but the Palestinians asked that the sum be delivered in cash from their tax money.

Israeli defense officials said that "the Palestinians' stance reveals that there is no real health crisis in the PA and that they are trying to use the money for other needs."

The affair was exposed by Channel 10. According to the report, the World Health Organization (WHO) failed to convince the Palestinians to receive the medications from Israel.

more...

[Jim Sagle]

1. But...but....but THAT would mean the Palestinian authorities were

(gasp!) LYING!!!!!!!!!!!

[pelsar]

2. actually there is a health crisis...

the palestenian doctors have been interviewed all last week, with the TV cameras in the hospitals, etc....they really have a shortage of medicine etc....but somethings are more important than others...one cant have "guns AND medical supplies"

i thought it was a good "compromise"....the israeli govt shouldnt be funding a govt whos intention to date is its destruction, yet it does owe the palestenian money and they do need the medical supplies...and Egypt is still refusing to open the gates for supplies for their arab brethren.....and non of the arab states are even bothering to send them anything.....(how much is a barrel of oil going for today?)

why isnt there any pressure on the arab states to deliver..in fact why arent they volunteering on their own?....I thought they cared about the palestenians?

[Scurrilous]

3. Can the Palestinians pay their taxes with medications?

Or does Israel still demand cash?

[Behind the Aegis]

4. Never happy...

:eyes:

[Trajan]

6. Never happy ? ....

Are you sure it isnt BOOZE and GIRLS they wanted instead of medicine ? ... Heroin instead of baby formula ???

I am quite sure the story said "Palestinians refused helping old women across road, and instead chose to eat live babies" .... how dare anyone try to sugercoat the dastardly Palestinians ! ....

Never happy .... indeed .....

Who dares call them human ? .... they are ANIMALS ! .....

ANIMALS ! .....

Extreme :sarcasm:

[Behind the Aegis]

7. What an incredibly stupid post!

See any one call them animals? NOPE! Gee, this almost sounds like screaming Islamaphobia where there is none!

Did they want booze and girls? Shows how little you know about the culture. They wanted cash, not meds. They scream they are in a medical crisis, then turn down millions of dollars in meds and it is still Israel's fault!

How dare Israel try to provide humanitarian aid...it is just a ploy for more land-grabbing. :sarcasm:

[Scurrilous]

8. "How dare Israel try to provide humanitarian aid..."

How is returning tax money owed to the Palestinians considered 'humanitarian aid?'

[Behind the Aegis]

9. They need the meds...

On edit: Perhaps they should have kept them. It seems no matter what Israel does it is never good enough or the right thing. Isn't that it?

[Trajan]

11. The CONSTANT vilification of Palestinian Arabs ....

is a disgusting hallmark of this forum ....

jem ? ..... is that you ? ....

[Phx_Dem]

12. If it's not too much trouble could you provide..

just one example of this "vilification"?

[Behind the Aegis]

13. DISGUSTING hallmarks...

...are the constant vilification of Israelis, rabid anti-Israeli screeds, and the ever constant whining about being called an anti-Semite!

And who or what is a jem?

[pelsar]

5. the palestenains owe israel a small fortune....

in unpaid electricity bills...while parts of israel has brownouts and the electrical company is spreading out the brownouts to various parts of the country...the one area that owes a fortune is getting consistant electricity.....


Palestinian Authority’s arrears to the Electric company recently reached unprecedented heights, with a bill totaling NIS 220 million (USD 47 million).


http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3208477,00.html

still with the israel bashing?

[eyl]

10. Who'se asking them

to pay taxes with medications?

Since the taxes involved are on imports, are you suggesting that they would recieve the medicine, export it and then reimport it?

[Scurrilous]

14. No eyl...

...it was a lame attempt at sarcasm.

I just find it odd that when collecting these import taxes, Israel has no problem accepting cash from the Palestinians. Yet when it comes time to turn this tax money over to the Palestinian authorities, Israel balks saying they don't want to engage in cash transactions and instead want to pay with medicines.

[eyl]

15. You seem to be missing a step

Israel has no particular aversion to dealing with cash. The issue is that since Israel fears that money transferred to the PA (and thus to Hamas) would wind up being used for attacks against Israel (or Israelis). From Israel's viewpoint, offering goods instead solves this problem; the Palestinians get the items they would supposedly have used the money for, while Israel doesn't have the worry of the money being diverted.

[idontwantaname]

16. perhaps

the PA wants to pay some unpaid workers with the money... then buy guns (as pelsar suggested) with the rest. eventually the international community should come together and collectively pay for medical supplies.

if the PA were to "squander" the money on medical supplies who would pay for unpaid workers??? not the international community.

[pelsar]

17. so its not a money problem....

In Gaza, where it has enough guns, Hamas has been buying up bullets, Palestinian security sources said.
Arms dealers and an Israeli military source said black market bullets were now selling for $1 each -- a steep price in areas where up to half the people live on less than $2 per day.


In the West Bank, Hamas has been buying M-16 rifles. Dealers said heavy demand and a lack of supply have sent prices soaring to as much as $13,000 each, up from $5,400 a year ago.

While the arsenals of the forces have been growing, they have also increased recruitment.


http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L08573680.htm

[barb162]

18. I can't believe it was the hospital personnel saying this

"According to the representatives, the Palestinians are interested in cash for their own needs"

I wonder which Hamas (or whoever) non-medical personnel made this call. It's a sorry call.

[idontwantaname]

19. dont panic

this is not the first time the palestinians have had medical aid and supplies cut off from them.

theyre aware of how this sort of thing works. see my other post above.