U.S. to announce new aid plan for West Bank, Gaza Strip

[bemildred]

The United States plans to announce tens of millions of dollars in new aid for the West Bank and Gaza next week to ease the humanitarian crisis in the Palestinian territories, U.S. officials said on Friday.

The funds will be channeled through the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian refugees, which handles U.S. and other assistance for food, health, education and other areas, said U.S. officials, who declined to provide the exact figure as the official announcement will be made during a trip to the region next week.

---

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert will meet with U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice while both are in Japan next week. The meeting was requested by Rice. It is particularly surprising because Rice is due to come to Jerusalem for a working visit the following week.

Government officials predicted that the meeting would focus on the situation in the Gaza Strip, and said that Rice probably wanted to express her concern over the humanitarian situation there.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/956934.html

[zonmoy]

1. is their concern real.

or are they merely crying crocodile tears so that they don't seem to be the bad guys when israel finds or creates an excuse to devastate the palestinians once again.

[bemildred]

3. Is that a rhetorical question? nt

[zonmoy]

5. pretty much.

don't expect compassion from the followers of infinite evil. (don't mean the devil but the other)

[bemildred]

7. That's what I thought.

If their compassion was real, we would not be here now.

[nightrider767]

2. What happened to the Chimp's peace process!?! n/t

[bemildred]

4. That was before.

This is now, not before.

[nightrider767]

6. Dang, I keep forgetting that!

I actually was dumb enough to think that it might have worked. The Chimp shoving peace of their collective asses.

I still can't believe it's over so quickly.

Forgotten....

[bemildred]

8. LOL. Nice image there. nt