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Source: http://washingtontimes.com/article/20080307/EDITORIAL/811928499/1013
Showdown on Palestinian Funding?
[Washington Times] Joel Mowbray - A showdown could be looming between Congress and the Bush administration over a $150 million emergency aid package for the Palestinian Authority government. At issue is whether or not Mahmoud Abbas has either the capacity or desire to bring Palestinians closer to a peace deal with Israel, and it was his own words that triggered congressional wrath. In an interview with the Jordanian newspaper Al-Dastur last week, Abbas spoke with pride of violence he had waged in his past, suggested that terrorism could start anew in the future, and essentially backed away from repeated statements that he "recognizes" Israel's right to exist. A top congressional appropriator, Foreign Operations Chairwoman Nita Lowey, said flatly, "Abbas' recent statements cast doubt on his willingness to take the steps necessary for peace with Israel."