[Reuters] Adam Entous - Western powers and their Arab allies will try to boost Mahmoud Abbas by pumping money into his office and programs that could benefit him politically, diplomats say. The effort dovetails with a U.S.-led push to strengthen forces loyal to Abbas. Western diplomats said in interviews this week that the goal would be to persuade Palestinians, hard hit by Western sanctions against the Hamas-led government, that backing moderate leaders would benefit them. But Palestinian analysts said it could backfire if Hamas succeeded in painting Abbas and his Fatah faction as beholden to U.S. and Israeli interests.
2006-12-20 01:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive