February 18, 2014 | Quote
Cut the Palestinian Authority Off
Since the mid-1990’s, when limited Palestinian autonomy in the West Bank and Gaza Strip was established pursuant to various Israel-PLO agreements inked during the Oslo process, the United States has provided the Palestinian Authority (PA) with approximately $5 billion in bilateral aid. Under US President Barack Obama's leadership, that aid has averaged $500 million per annum.
Initially, Congress authorized this aid to secure key US national interests; namely, preventing terrorism against Israel, promoting self-governance in the West Bank that encourages the PA toward peaceful coexistence with Israel under a “two-state solution,” and meeting basic humanitarian needs.
Congressional legislation stipulates that no funds may be provided to support a future Palestinian state unless the Secretary of State can independently verify that the governing entity of the state has demonstrated a firm commitment to peaceful coexistence with the State of Israel. Congress’s definition of such steps include: taking appropriate measures to counter terrorism and terrorist financing as well as working to pursue fair, lasting, and comprehensive peace in the Middle East “that will enable Israel and an independent Palestinian state to exist within the context of full and normal relationships.”
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Abbas has also failed to stop the endemic corruption that has plagued the PA since the group’s inception. According to Jonathan Schanzer, vice president of research at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, corruption has hindered the PA’s ability to administer international assistance, encourage investment, or build effective institutions. In his new book, titled State of Failure: Yasser Arafat, Mahmoud Abbas, and the Unmaking of the Palestinian State,'Dr. Schanzer cites as just one example a leaked European report which revealed that the PA squandered nearly $2.7 billion in European aid between 2008 and 2012. Most recently, Palestinian Media Watch (PMW) produced a report for Britain’s Parliament, which revealed that the PA distributed over $100 million to convicted terrorists in 2013. In fact, the PA itself has noted that corruption complaints in the West Bank quadrupled during 2013.