Congress Agrees to Train and Equip Abbas' Security Forces
Julie Stahl
Jerusalem Bureau Chief
Jerusalem (CNSNews.com) - The U.S. Congress has cleared the way for millions of American taxpayer dollars to be spent on security forces loyal to Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas -- despite Abbas' involvement in the new Fatah-Hamas unity government.
The U.S. and Israel support Abbas and his Fatah faction as "moderates" in the region, and they were backing him in his power struggle against Hamas until he joined forces with the terrorist organization. Now the U.S. Congress has agreed to beef up Abbas' security forces anyway.
State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said on Tuesday that because no lawmaker had blocked the money requested by the Bush administration two weeks ago, the administration is now free to move forward and spend the $59 million.
"A 15-day period lapsed after March 23rd, in which no senator or representative put a hold on the money and therefore we can proceed with that program," McCormack said.
According to McCormack, about $43 million will be used for "non-lethal training and equipment" for Abbas' presidential guard. Another $16 million will be used for upgrades to the Karni crossing, he said.
Karni - the main goods crossing between Israel and the Gaza Strip and basically Gaza's lifeline - has been the site of numerous Palestinian terror attacks and attempted attacks.
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