The White House is mulling the possibility of halting distribution of up to nine billion dollars in loan guarantees approved to Israel by Congress earlier this year. The move may come in an attempt to pressure the government of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to freeze the construction of a fence in the West Bank separating Israel from the Palestinian territories.
The punitive measure considered by US officials is testimony to the administration’s toughening position towards Israel. The US is displeased with the fence's route, passing through Palestinian areas, and its hindering effect on progress on the US-backed “road map” for peace that envisions a Palestinian state by 2005.
While the Israeli government claims the barrier constitues a reasonable defensive policy against terrorism, the Palestinians contend it is a de facto border for Israel in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. President George Bush’s Spokesman Scott McClellan stated that "at this stage" no decision had been made about deducting the fence's cost from the loan guarantees.
Concurrently, US President George W. Bush has requested that up to $26 million be made available to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) to meet unexpected and urgent refugee needs in the West Bank and Gaza. — (menareport.com)
© 2003 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
