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GOP lawmaker wants scrutiny of Palestinian aid

A conservative Republican congressman says he's hoping to prevent U.S. financial aid to the Palestinians from falling into the wrong hands.



The Democrat-led House recently passed a foreign operations bill that included nearly $4 billion in funding for the state of Israel. Representative Mike Pence (R-Indiana) was able to secure 390 votes behind an amendment that bars money from being distributed to the Palestinian Authority unless the U.S. can certify that no element of the PA's government has been compromised by Hamas or another terrorist organization.

"There's been so much talk about lifting the restrictions on aid to the Palestinians after the collapse in Gaza City, where Hamas has taken over that portion of the Palestinian areas," the conservative lawmaker explains. "We wanted to make it very, very clear that even the Fatah government needs to continue to only receive U.S. taxpayer assistance if we can be absolutely certain that our tax dollars will never be used in any way that threatens Israel."

Pence says when dealing with the Palestinian leadership, the U.S. is forced to choose between "killers or crooks." He asserts that the record of the Fatah government -- as well as within the Palestinian Authority -- has been one of "corruption and disappointment and an unwillingness to step forward and really achieve peace ...."

"So we need to proceed with caution in any way that we distribute American dollars there," Pence notes. "We need to help those who are hurting, [and] we need to provide humanitarian assistance where appropriate -- but no dollars [should go] to the Palestinian Authority in any way that could reach terrorists or threaten Israel."

Israel currently receives about $2.4 billion in defense aid from the U.S. each year. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice recently asked Congress to appropriate $86 million in aid to the Palestinians.