Easter is celebrated in Jerusalem and surrounding Palestinians cities both religiously and culturally. Children wave beautifully weaved palm leaves on Palm Sunday, Boy Scout-led marches celebrate Sabt el Noor (Holy Fire), when the light comes out of the Church of the Holy Seplechure and is welcomed with marching bands in towns with Palestinian Christian populations such as Ramallah, Bethlehem Zababdeh, Abood and Nablus.
Christian Palestinians are a dwindling population. Decades of occupation and hopelessness coupled with opportunities to emigrate have resulted in many more Palestinian Christians living outside Palestine than inside.
Tourism and Christian pilgrimage constitute perhaps the one source of economic survivor for many Christian families. Many things can be taken away, but holy places and archeological sites remain, and if they are in good shape can attract visiting tourists. But most Christian locations outside the major Jerusalem metropolitan area are in shambles. An opportunity to improve some of these sites gave many hope that things would slightly improve for this dwindling population. But alas this hope was shattered by a single U.S. politician.
Ros-Lehtinen, who chairs the powerful Foreign Affairs Committee in the U.S. House of Representatives, conditioned the lifting of the hold with the understanding that the money not be used for assistance in Gaza. She also prohibited the use of USAID funds for road projects in the West Bank, except if directly related to security.
Finally, and bizarrely, she denied use of funds for trade facilitation, tourism promotion, scholarships for Palestinian students and other aid for Palestinian Authority agencies and ministries.
It is hard to understand why a U.S. congressperson would put such conditions over and above the recommendations of USAID officials. The USAID money for the reconstruction of Gaza was pledged by Secretary Clinton and does not go to the Hamas-led government, but to the people of Gaza who suffered tremendous hardships during the Israeli war of 2008-09.
Road construction and trade facilitating projects in the West Bank fit perfectly within the two-state solution, which the entire world, including Israel's prime minister, supports. By opposing such projects, the Republican congresswoman goes against U.S. and international policies.
But perhaps the most perplexing decision by the Florida congresswoman is her opposition to promoting Christian tourism to the Holy Land. According to a request for proposals (RFP294- 2011-204) published by USAID last year, the American government was looking for contractors able to help rebuild a number of Christian sites in the occupied West Bank:
* Burqeen church near Jenin, a Christian sanctuary dating to the early Byzantine era. The current structure dates to the 12th century.
* Sabastia/Samria. The biblical capital of the Northern Kingdom of (Ancient) Israel, the current ruins date from the Roman period.
* Tell Balata Archaeological Park in Nablus, which is listed as an archeological biblical site. It's the site of the Canaanite and biblical city of Shechem.
* Jacob's well, reputed to be the site of Jesus' encounter with the Samaritan woman. The site is also associated with the biblical patriarchs.
* Shepherd's field in Beit Sahour, which is a Christian site near Bethlehem
Rep. Ros-Lehtinen's actions put her outside the positions of Catholic and Protestant leaders, who have made numerous public declarations in support of the Christian Palestinian community. Promoting tourism and pilgrims' visits to Christian sites in the Holy Land is something most Americans surely support.
A hint of that might be found in reviewing the politician's donor base. Campaign finance records show that her top campaign contributor is Irving Moskowitz, the retired Florida businessman who is developing a controversial apartment project -- intended exclusively and discriminatory for Jews -- in occupied East Jerusalem's Shepherd Hotel.
In the U.S., as in most democratic countries, foreign policy is made by the executive branch. It is irrational that a Republican congresswoman, supported by a radical donor, can single-handedly oppose the will of the American people represented by the full plenary of congress and the executive branch of the U.S. government.
The full Congress voted last summer on the entire aid package to the Palestinians. Rep. Ros-Lehtinen is the sticking point, and her restriction on the aid bill is damaging U.S. policy. Worse, she has taken a position that harms Christian Palestinians as well as American Christians who might want to visit the sites to which she is denying reconstruction funds.
Follow Daoud Kuttab on Twitter: www.twitter.com/daoudkuttab
"Decades of occupation" = Jews living in the region
"and hopelessness" = Jews living in the region
"coupled with opportunities to emigrate" = because of Jews living in the region
--Face it, you and people like you think all of Israel is "occupied." As for the disputed territory, (you have Gaza back, although your group whines about that too), Jews have lived in the WB and Jerusalem since biblical times, evidenced by the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Western Wall, respectively. They have as much of a right to live there as Arabs.
--"thuggish army"
Don't throw rocks at them and they may be less "thuggish." In any case, no soldiers are trained to throw flowers
--"vandalize Arab villages and crops"
Don't slaughter innocents and people won't take their justified anger out on abandoned buildings and vegetables
Return to the article's 2nd paragraph (if you even looked at it)
The West has learned that p;romoting Democracy and giving aid results in ONE election...to elect an oppressive Islamic Government, and not one election thereafter. The West has learned, that aid only results in worse oppression, and more deaths for the *inmates* of the asylum.
Assad is an excellent example We have seen that same movie with Hafez al Assad in, was it 1982? Father and son deal(t) with it in the same fashion.
The elections of Hamas, as well as the election of Hezbullah, are other examples. Even the overthrowing of Shah Reza and election of the current regime made matters worse. The ME needs to sort out its own problems.
Ghee are reruns of the same old movies, again and again. EVEN Abu Mazen is planning to rerun last years' performance @ the UJN again, IF he gets that far.
Useless puppet shows.
Daoud Kuttab has an agenda serving his own objectives. Indoctrination of Palestinian Kids is his source of income. He should peddle his opinions to other Arabs. Unfortunately, they are wise to the games.
Fact is, that no matter what the rest of the world does, tyrants remain in control in Arab situations. The more aid is given to them, the more deeply they become ensconced. One day the Arab People will really wake up and ask this question: What is in it for me? Am I getting any better because of their actions? And the response will be no, and it does not matter whether we appoint the religious, the irreligious, this martyr, or that *leader*. They are all in it for one party. A party of one; themself.
There are pros, that Mr. Kuttab mentions, and cons, that he does not. Right now, the pros have prevailed. He should stop portraying the Congresswoman as some sort of foaming-at-the-mouth, hateful lunatic.
First off "foreign aid" is a sham that mostly serves the interests of bad people. I heard some one say recently, "foreign aid is the act of taking wealth from the poor and middle class of America, and give it the the rich and elite of poorer nations."
Look at countries like Somalia, where more often than not the food shipments go directly into the hands of the warlords who then use it as leverage over the population thereby expanding their authority. Is there a justifiable claim this could happen in Palestine?
Also in a time where our country is hurting, and our infrastructure is deteriorating why is it the roads in the West Bank are getting more attention than bridges in Minnesota...
"It is irrational that a Republican congresswoman, supported by a radical donor, can single-handedly oppose the will of the American people represented by the full plenary of congress and the executive branch of the U.S. government."
Seriously you are going to use the term "the will of the American people" when talking about a congress that has a 9% approval rating?
I read an article on it earlier today and it got my blood boiling. They are arguing in congress about the foreign aid to send to Palestine due to damage by the Israeli military.
They are spending money to rebuild roads in the West Bank, when they arent even keeping up with the roads in the USA.
yeah, right -
"p.a. abrhm"
The nature of terrorism, the constant lies and inuendo, the use of civilians, as well as targetting civilians, becomes more and more clear. It is not only employed by the Palestinians. Neither is indoctrination of little children for their purposes. If they wait, until older, they would not get anyone to join them. There is nothing in their movements for anyone, except their socalled *leadership*.
It sppears, that until now hopes have been pinned on improving people's situation, aiding them in throwing off tyrants, making them independent, moving towards democracy would help. It is exactly, because indoctrination takes place from the cradle on, that that has proven not to yield results.Niether aid, monetary or otherwise, or providing weaponry, to fight off their tyrants has worked. It has been seen in Iran, on the Muslim side, that throwing off the irreligious does not change one thing either. Replacement of Shah Reza has not improved the situation one iota.
Palestinians are not insured in the U.S. They do not pay taxes here. They do not vote here, and this, and assorted other foul language aimed at us, sbotage of efforts to help you, and spitting US representatives in the face by Abu Mazen, even endless reruns of the puppet theatre put up by Palestinians, results in NOTHING...
Go to work, earn a living, get educated, get with it, pay your own bills! The *scoundrels*, esecially the *lousy* ones, have received your messages. It is all inappropriate in polite society.
And as soon as you convince her voters of that, and of the fact that that is bad for them, well, no doubt she will be voted out.
(Hint: Don't hold your breath)
(On second thought......)