I'm Taking The Ball And Going Home!

Today the Palestine Authority under the leadership of Mahmoud Abbas Abu Mazen is having a Temper Tantrum over last Friday's veto by the United States.  It seems that Mahmoud Abbas Abu Mazen believes he is the leader of a superpower instead of a want-a-be nation dependent on foreign aid from the United States and the European Union.

Organizations associated with the Palestinian Authority in east Jerusalem announced on Wednesday that they are boycotting the local U.S. consulate.

The reason for the boycott is to protest last Friday’s U.S. veto at the United Nations Security Council meeting that torpedoed an anti-Israeli resolution.

PA and Arab leaders had submitted a request to the Security Council to vote to condemn Israel for allowing Jews to build homes within Jewish cities in Judea and Samaria. President Barack Obama had attempted to prevent the PA from submitting the resolution to the Security Council in a phone call to PA head Mahmoud Abbas in which he reportedly offered a benefits package, but all the suggestions for a compromise were rejected. This lead to the U.S. placing a veto on the resolution, which would have otherwise passed as all the other 14 members voted in favor of it.

The resolution condemns construction for Judea and Samaria Jews as “illegal” and “a major obstacle to peace.” In addition, it would state that the UN is prepared to send envoys to the region “to examine the realities on the ground.”

Senior Fatah official Hatem Abdel Kader, who holds the Jerusalem portfolio for the PA, told AFP on Wednesday that the newly announced boycott against the U.S. would see the 28 Arab local councils in Jerusalem cutting ties with the consulate.

“The Palestinian institutions in Jerusalem have decided to boycott the U.S. consulate in Jerusalem in protest against the U.S. veto,” Kader told AFP. “We will cut our relationship with all American institutions, including with USAID and we will not take any help or money from them.”

According to AFP, approximately 28 local councils have agreed to join in the boycott, which would include political meetings and contact with U.S. officials.

Kader said that “The boycott will continue until the U.S. administration changes its stance on the Palestinian issue, especially towards the settlements [the Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria – ed.].”

Kader added that the PA also expects an apology by the Obama administration for using the veto.

Full Story

“We will cut our relationship with all American institutions, including with USAID and we will not take any help or money from them.”

Is this a promise?  Will they return the $1.2 BILLION that has already been sent?  Will they stop our arming their Police Force?  What do you think they would say or do if the US were to cut them off completely?

President Obama is many things but in the game of politics he is no fool. There are only 2.5 million Muslims in the US and 6 million Jews with large voting populations in key Electoral College states of New York, Florida, and California.  Not to mention the millions of Christians who are deep supporters of Israel.  Yes the veto in the Security Council last Friday had more to do with November 6th, 2012 than with any resolution of the problem with the Palestinians.  In fact it had a lot to do with trying to convince Jews to support him in his re-election bid than any thing else.

Mahmoud Abbas Abu Mazen really doesn't have anything to worry about.  Give Barack Hussein Obama a few weeks and will bow down before him the way he has done before:

Next to be done to Mahmoud Abbas Abu Mazen!

Haiti Has Too Much Food and Too Much Health Aid. Go Figure!

by Maggie's Notebook

The Haitian economy is in tatters, but not for the reasons you might think. Yes, there was all-time-record-breaking devastation from an earthquake in Haiti's capital of Port au Prince and surrounding areas, but the problem now is foreign food and health aid. As I type, donated food is being stashed in warehouses for a future disaster. And then, there is also a problem with the United Nations (UN) and their money, and their spending, and their excesses.

Haiti Refugees

Let's take the U.N. first. Their budget for Haiti of $732.4 million has seen two-thirds of it going for "salaries, perks and upkeep of its own personnel, not the residents of the devastated island:

The world organization plans to spend the money on an expanded force of some 12,675 soldiers and police, plus some 479 international staffers, 669 international contract personnel, and 1,300 local workers, just for the 12 months ending June 30, 2010.

As the world out-pouring of donations hits the Haitian soil, the price of food sold by the people is lowered, and the result is that people can't trade or sell their goods.

If food is free local farmers can't sell what they grow.

 Desperately poor residents who aren't earthquake victims are moving into refugee camps for the free food and health care. But the government wants residents to be less dependent on foreign aid, not more.

Now, here is the story:

Even as many go without meals, relief food that's already made it to Haiti is now being sent to warehouses for future disasters. USAID calls it "prepositioning." The U.N. also says they are scaling back and "repositioning" for future needs.

Yet, the article linked above says "hundreds of thousands go hungry."

Haiti says it still needs monetary donations, but they need it for rebuilding the ravaged areas, not for food.

As of today, total donations to Haiti meet and exceed the biggest estimates of how much it will cost to rebuild -- up to $14 billion. The record-breaking Hope for haiti Telethon in January brought in more than $66 million. That's part of the $4 billion raised by non-government groups and charities. The U.S. Government has given more than $1 billion and has pledged another billion-plus. Other countries and world bodies have pledged $8.75 billion over two years. That's $14.9 billion and counting.

A suggestion: if you continue sending donations to Haiti, don't send them the U.N.