US Rep.: $900M In Gaza Aid Should Depend On End Of Rocket Attacks, Release Of Shalit

U.S. Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., a member of the Middle East subcommittee of the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee, has sent a letter to Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton demanding that $900 million in proposed Gaza aid for Palestinians be conditioned on ending rocket attacks on Israel from Gaza and having Hamas release kidnapped Israeli soldier Cpl. Gilad Shalit.

Mrs. Clinton pledged $900 million during a conference in Egypt last week, which sought to raise money for rebuilding Gaza after Israel’s three-week incursion into Gaza. It was aimed at halting Gaza rocket-fire against southern Israel.

Cpl. Shalit has been held as a hostage by Hamas since a cross-border raid in June 2006.

Ms. Berkley’s letter followed a meeting on Capitol Hill last Tuesday with the Sderot Media Center, which briefed Congress about what life is like in rocket-battered Sderot The group provided first-hand visual reports of the 120 rocket attacks that have been launched from Gaza since Israel ceased its military incursion into Gaza on Jan. 18, two days before President Barack Obama was inaugurated.

After the briefing, Ms. Berkley sent the strongly worded letter to Mrs. Clinton, demanding the aid be delayed as long as the Gaza rocket-fire continues and as long as Cpl. Shalit remains captive.

She exclusively disclosed her letter to The Bulletin, where she writes, “This money will end up helping Hamas and hurting the very Palestinian people we intend to help.”

Ms. Berkley noted “for years, the U.S. has infused money into the Palestinian Authority (PA), with very little to show for it,” and “instead of helping average Palestinians, our money has lined the pockets of the Arafats and other corrupt Palestinian leaders.”

She expressed her surprise that “our funding will not be conditioned on any reciprocal actions by Hamas or the PA,” and “it is essential that we condition our funding on Hamas’ reciprocating with these basic demands.”

Without such conditions, Ms. Berkley warned, “Palestinians will see the U.S. as providing aid while Hamas continues to terrorize the Israeli people, with no consequences from the U.S. government.”

The most important part of her letter to Mrs. Clinton contained an attack on the suggested solution of funding the Gazans through the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), which currently receives 31 percent of its budget from the American government.

She attacked UNRWA’s credibility, saying “UNRWA has proven itself to be a biased agency, with very little oversight… Much of UNRWA’s money and services end up in the hands of people who are wealthy enough not to need the assistance, or worse, with members of terrorist organizations. UNRWA officials have even admitted that they cannot guarantee their money does not go to Hamas. I believe helping UNRWA does not further the cause of peace.”

The U.S. State Department could not be reached for comment as of press time.

David Bedein can be reached at dbedein@israelbehindthenews.com