Hurricane relief may cut into U.S. pullout aid for Israel

[Lori Price CLG]

Hurricane relief may cut into U.S. pullout aid for Israel 04 Sep 2005 The scope of the disaster relief that the U.S. government is preparing for the areas hit by the hurricane is likely to reduce the amount of American aid to be transferred to Israel, Army Radio reported Sunday, citing unnamed White House officials. (Each Israeli is getting $300,000 from the US government to 'relocate,' so even with any cuts, I'm sure they're way ahead of the game, considering that the poor black people in Louisiana got nothing. See: Menendez not ready to endorse U.S. aid for disengagement 11 Aug 2005 United States Rep. Robert Menendez (D-NJ, Dist. 13) told NJJN in Jerusalem on Aug. 9 that he is not ready to endorse American funding to aid the implementation of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s Gaza Strip withdrawal plan... Sharon's aides have asked the American administration for $2.2 billion in aid to help cover the cost of relocating some 9,000 settlers to undeveloped areas in the Negev and the Galilee.)

http://www.legitgov.org/index.html#breaking_news

Lori Price

[NYC]

1. Will each American get $300,000 to relocate from New Orleans?

And other disaster areas.

...Each Israeli is getting $300,000 from the US government to relocate

If that's true, it's criminal. We should help our own citizens.

[Lori Price CLG]

5. Nope, they are getting Martial Law and continued poverty. n/t

[Coastie for Truth]

11. Wrong - In the SF Bay Area they are getting my personal care and attention

Just got "The Call" --- As soon as the first planes land at SFO and SJC - I am a Red Cross Shelter Manager for the newcomers from New Orleans. And I am self employed ("Only eat what I kill") - shutting down my business to help the evacuees.

[Andromeda]

25. Way to go, Coastie...

:)

[DoYouEverWonder]

2. Maybe we can pullout aid for Iraq too

and bring out troops home?

[Tyranny_R_US]

3. This does not belong in GD

[Lori Price CLG]

6. Why not? It is actually LBN, but due to my comments, I put it here. n/t

[misanthrope]

4. Oh well...

...gee, that's too bad...

[Colorado Blue]

7. Hello??????

I find it outrageous that a discussion of Israel should be involved with a discussion of Katrina, and furthermore wonder why other US aid figures aren't included in the article? However, since it has, and since I don't care to speculate on the rationale for this piece, I have something to say.

Even if the $300,000 figure is correct, which I think it is not - I've seen far lower figures quoted in Israeli papers - it doesn't seem unreasonable considering the loss of home, business, livelihood, 30 years of work and the future that had been so strenuously built.

The pullout and relocation are seen as strategically beneficial to US interests. The so-called "road map" is being driven by the Bush Administration, with a great deal of nudging by the Sauds. Although the Israelis are doing everything they can to be less dependent upon the US, this particular step in the direction of peace was both extremely damaging to the people of Israel and extremely expensive.

Moreover, what would you want as compensation for the destruction of your home and business? Think about that. These people have lost not only homes, but their livelihoods. Compensation has to be figured on that basis. What is your house worth? Your business? Your future?

Katrina and Israel are two completely separate issues, although they may now become linked economically. Comparisons like this are spurious. Beyond that, because questions about aid to, for example, the tsunami victims, poor people in Africa, other developing nations or the cost of the war in Iraq weren't included in the piece, it borders on the prejudicial and the inflammatory.

Finally, it is hardly the fault of the Israelis that the people of Louisiana are poor. If you are worried about who's reponsible for THAT, look in the mirror.

[NorthernSpy]

9. ... and it's hardly the fault of poor people in Louisiana...

... that Israel's reach into areas like Gaza ultimately exceeded its grasp. They shouldn't suffer an aid shortage so that people in another country can enjoy $300,000 payouts.

Any "compensation" money that Americans are paying citizens of Israel who have been evacuated from Gaza rightly belongs in the pockets of needy Americans.

[Lori Price CLG]

10. Exactamundo. n/t

[Colorado Blue]

16. Yer all wet. Sopping wet in fact. Please let's have some FACTS:

The settlers aren't getting anything from the US government. The compensation is paid for from the GOI funds. The extra aid which is being requested (hasn't been approved yet, so natch hasn't been received, while all settlers are out of Gaza.) won't even be discussed until some time in Feb. In fact, the discussions were to begin this week, but Israel has delayed the meetings due to Katrina.

The development of the Negev (helps the Bedouin there also) and the Galilee (will also help the Arab and druze communities there) is for the development of the areas, not compensation paid to the settlers relocating.

It has already been speculated that it will be reduced some, although that is not linked to Katrina, as the budget for foreign aid is not linked to the budget for national emergencies.

"In a related development, a delegation that was to go to the US in the next few days and discuss the $2.2 billion in disengagement-related aid to be used to develop the Negev and Galilee reportedly postponed its trip.

"One diplomatic official said this was obviously not the time to go to Washington with requests for aid."
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1125886820078

This is near the end of the article. The article is about the aid Israel is sending to victims of Katrina - 80 tons of supplies and items that were requested by US.

Now, I think some soul-searching ought to ensue, and that "news" source should be regarded with suspicion to say the least.

[Coastie for Truth]

18. How about the $3.19/gallon

I gave to the KINGDON OF SAUDI ARABIA this morning - and that was for the UNreimbursed gasoline I burned up arranging for the several hundred new Californians from New Orleans.

[Colorado Blue]

26. I have plenty to say about that but...

deleted by author:)

[barb162]

13. How about the almost 2 billion or so the US gave to tsunami

victims. Does that money given "rightly belongs in the pockets of needy Americans."

[solinvictus]

8. Hopefully, it will..

I'm sick of the USA being Israel's rich uncle.

[barb162]

15. Are you equally as sick at how much money has gone to

Palestinians, especially when Arafat was pocketing somewhat large ortions of it? How about aid to other countries?

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2005/09/04/MNGTHEI7BV1.DTL

[barb162]

12. I think this is a phony story. Israel is giving its ex-settlers

money, but I think the money is NOT coming from the US.

I read the average amount given to the settlers was about 150,000

[barb162]

14. does 150 million given to Palestinians cut into hurricane relief too?

"Over the past year, the Palestinians have been given more than $150 million in U.S. aid, including $50 million in direct assistance to the Palestinian Authority."

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N18335500.htm


How about the money we give to a bunch of other countries?????

I find it truly fascinating that only one country's aid seems to come up here and it is Israel. Am I detecting a bit of discrimination here?

[Colorado Blue]

17. Thanks for the common sense and decency. Please see my

post #16, which should, I hope, clarify matters.

What is happening to this country? I too detect more than a whiff of discrimination.

[barb162]

20. We give billions every year to many countries but one question

pops up...giving to Israel is a problem?

[not systems]

19. $150 million for millions of Palestinians and ...

$2.2 billion for 8000 "settlers"...

doing the math it seems obvious that the real "discrimination"
is not what you are point out.

[barb162]

21. 'The settlers aren't getting anything from the US government'

see post 16.

And I will bet we will be giving PUHHHHLENTY for Gaza when it is fully cleared and the Palestinians take it over.

[not systems]

22. Better ask for a correction to this article...

http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/us-to-be-asked-for-gaza-aid/2005/07/11/1120934186059.html

US to be asked for Gaza aid
By Dan Williams in Jerusalem
July 12, 2005

Israel will ask the United States for $US2.2 billion ($2.9 billion) to pay for its planned withdrawal from the occupied Gaza Strip, one of the largest aid requests by the Jewish state, Israeli political sources say.

They said yesterday that the special funding would be used to pay for the pullout from Gaza and a corner of the West Bank, due to begin in the middle of next month, and to relocate some 9000 evacuated Jewish settlers to underpopulated areas of Israel.

"This is our biggest aid request in my memory, which is hardly surprising given the unprecedented scale of the disengagement plan," a senior Israeli political source said.

...

The "unprecedented scale" seems a little small compared to
our needs here at home.

So you maybe right and the 2.2 billion was for "other" costs but
really it is a difference without a difference.

US tax dollars paying for privileged members of another country's
comforts and succorer well ignoring the needed in the USA.

Every dollar given to Israel is taken from the American
poor regardless if it fits your priorities to do so.

[barb162]

23. sanfranciscogate can correct its own stories if in fact there are

errors.

Every dollar in foreign aid to ANY country or people is a dollar that doesn't go to America's poor. That is the way it has been ever since this country started foreign aid decades ago.

Do you have a problem with Palestinians or any other countries getting US foreign aid at this time? Would you have been against the Berlin Airlift after WW2? Would you have been against the Marshall Plan after WW2? After all there were poor Americans then too as there always have been.

[not systems]

24. The gaza settlers are just like the Berlin Airlift...

I follow your logic.

Fyi: That article was not in sfgate but ... ummm... whatever.

[barb162]

28. thanks for pointing that out

I had just posted this article in the IP forum about the same time:http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2005/09/04/MNGTHEI7BV1.DTL

[Colorado Blue]

27. Again, you're wrong. The money, as per my post, which you

obviously didn't read, is NOT for the settlers. Any compensation for the settlers is being paid for by the Government of Israel.
The proposed funds you mention will go for projects to develop the Negev and areas in the Galilee, and will benefit the Arab and Bedouin population of Israel as well.

Please read my posts, OK? They reflect the facts, not blind hatred.

Moreover, any aid to Israel is both a drop in the bucket of the US budget, and is more than balanced by the billions given to the Palestinians by other sources, including the oil-rich states of the Middle East. Most of the that money has simply vanished, been used to fund terror or is sitting uselessly in Palestinian banks, instead of being used to help the people and create infrastructure, industry and jobs. Please see the associated thread on this forum.

[Andromeda]

29. These are facts that I wasn't aware of, DB...

More people need to be aware of the facts before they go off on a rant about Israel.

I did know about all the money laying around in Palestinian banks. It sure isn't benefiting the Palestinian people so what's up with that?

Put that with all the money Arafat ripped off and you have a very tidy sum of money that was squandered away with hardly a peep from Israel's detractors. Guess that's because they haven't found a way to blame Israel for that too.

[Andromeda]

30. Sharon requested $2.2 billion ...

but it's far from being a done deal. No decision is going to be made right away---it might happen sometime in February, 2005---and the amount requested will probably be changed with continued negotiations. We already give large sums of money to Israel, the Palestinians and Egypt---among others too numerous to mention.

What you're saying is misleading because so far it's only in the discussion stage. It's probably safe to assume that Israel will get considerably less than what was asked for.

As far as Menendez goes, he didn't say that the aid to Israel WOULDN'T be endorsed. He says the decision about it would be delayed and that's all. It certainly isn't going to work out to $300,000 for each Israeli.

And by the way:

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/620503.html

..."The Jewish community in the United States has responded to the hurricane with massive outpourings of support, coordinated through several major organizations and religious movements. Special efforts are also underway to locate and aid any Jewish hurricane refugees."...