Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Syrian President Bashar Assad (AP)
"Where do U.S. interests lie in the current chaos afflicting the Palestinians? It’s a difficult question. Each answer comes with political dilemmas and moral hazards. Although we are not responsible for the choices made by others, there is no avoiding the fact that a good deal of responsibility for the status quo lies at our feet.
"The consequences of the Palestinian elections have been dire. Israel stopped transferring tax revenues and the movement of goods in and out of Palestinians areas has slowed to a stagnant crawl. The United States acted to prevent bank transfers to the Hamas-led PA, and Congress has required that U.S. assistance be given only through non-governmental organizations, or to the Office of President Mahmoud Abbas.
"To provide humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian people, together with our Quartet partners, we have established a Temporary International Mechanism to deliver aid. The TIM, initially established in June 2006, allowed approximately $900 million in emergency assistance to be spent in the West Bank and Gaza by the end of last year. By comparison, in 2005, total PA revenue from taxes, transferred customs duties and foreign aid amounted to $1.3 billion, with another $700 million coming from commercial loans and proceeds from the Palestine Investment Fund."