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Arlene Peck is an internationally syndicated columnist, television talk show hostess and frequent contributer to Jewsweek.com. Her column is read weekly by millions and her television show ("Wow! It's Arlene Peck!") can be seen throughout Southern California every Monday night.
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By Arlene Peck
March 14, 2005
Folks, it pains me as a newspaper columnist to say this, but -- surprise, surprise -- you really should not believe all you read in the newspapers, and on TV.
I cannot even turn on the television without some happy chirpy commentator who's probably never been out of the United States, sitting there reporting on all that wonderful democracy flooding the Middle East. Especially those "poor Palestinians" yearning for that special homeland carved out of the heart of the Jewish State.
I do however, believe at least parts of an article that I recently read entitled, "Western Donors Weigh Billions for Palestinians." According to the Times, top U.S .and European officials have meet with the new Palestinian leadership in London. The meeting was to consider $4.5 billion or more in new aid that they hope will bolster the Palestinian government, boost the economy and strengthen the drive toward peace in the Middle East. Why am I getting a feeling of deja vu all over again?
I really, really looked but nowhere did I see any convincing explanation about why this obscene ransom is to be paid, in addition to the eight to eleven billion that Suha Arafat and company have reportedly packed away for their shopping trips and villas in Paris.
It is true that later in the column, there was a mention that "The Palestinian Authority has received billions of dollars for schools, hospitals, roads and other basic needs in the last decade, one of the most expensive development programs ever on a per-capita basis. But, millions of dollars disappeared and the Israel-Palestinian conflict raged for much of that time, leaving little to show for the money." Millions! See what I mean? That's quite a discount. I think not.
Hey, why wouldn't they get away with the issue of the disappearing money? I don't remember Blair, the European Union, United Nations and especially our President or State and Treasury departments every calling for an accounting. Considering the billions and billions of dollars the Palestinian Authority has received for schools, hospitals, roads and other basic needs that never quite made it to their destinations, logically, there would be a shortage of donors to go down this road again. Nevertheless, when it comes out of taxpayer money, it is easy to be helpful.
It is difficult to believe but despite the stipulations by our Congress that outside auditors must be able to monitor how the money is being used, they will not even let U.S. auditors even enter the building where the records are supposedly being kept. Maybe it is time for them to make a trip to one of the palatial palaces that Suha Arafat is living in Paris and get the secret keys and addresses to the vaults.
So, excuse me if I do not get that warm and fuzzy feeling about "Arab democracy" that seems to be going around the world now. I suppose watching the constant bombings of Israel's children waiting to enter discos or our soldiers being blown up by road-side bombings has jaded me a bit. Also, the fact that Arafat was able to defend his use of hidden bank accounts as a means of ensuring that Israel couldn't seize the funds as a pressure tactic when the real reason was to subsidize PLO and the rest of the terrorists operations.
Such an affront to intelligence hasn't helped my attitude. Especially when these same concerned world leaders were very aware that Arafat was also using this money to pay the families of the homicide bombers and other terrorists. (Sorry, not genocidal murderers but "militants," as the Times calls them.)
The real money that could and should be made available by the PLO/PA band of bandits, assuming real pressure is put on its dysfunctional, evil and corrupt leaders, is substantial, yet unknown, but could well form the basis for jump-starting the so-called economy without outside contributions (aka "flushing the toilet").
However, it is not going to be done. The CIA, FBI and Arabist State Department has never cooperated with any of the investigators. Their excuse was their questioning could undermine the "peace process and relations with allies." I suppose it is the same allies that were not able to finish the job of the Jewish Problem sixty years ago. These same guys are still hanging around with a new name for their present day farcical effort, the so-called Roadmap to Peace. Doesn't that sound lovely?
President Bush and Secretary Rice AND the leaders of Israel are not looking so great to me either. Throwing good money after bad never solved any problem that I am aware of, but it must make them feel ever so PC toward the warm. loving and caring Palestinian barbarians.
The Israeli cabinet ministers, in my humble opinion, have lost their minds in their rush to "disengage" and fling a large chunk of Israel for the building of this independent Palestinian state dedicated to their destruction. Oh, and in order to do this, they must destroy twenty-five Jewish communities in Samaria and Gaza and expel thousands of Jews. Did I mention the opening of the jails and letting out almost a thousand of these "former" Palestinian terrorists -- for what?
If the leaders in Israel and the world leaders who are pushing for this disaster are allowed to make their votes count, shouldn't the citizens of Israel be allowed to have a voice and a vote in such a life threatening decision? But in our press and our TV, their voices are barely heard. Apparently, that's not news fit for print.
Views expressed by the author do not
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