PM Fayyad criticizes US "extortion"
PM Fayyad criticizes US "extortion":
"Our rights are not for sale or trade
for a handful of dollars"
"Our rights are not for sale or trade
for a handful of dollars"
From PMW's archive - November 2010:
Clinton: "I am pleased to announce that the United States has transferred an additional $150 million in direct assistance to the Palestinian Authority... Let me thank the Prime Minister [Fayyad] for his tireless efforts... and for being a consistent voice for progress and common sense."
by Itamar Marcus and Nan Jacques Zilberdik
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced a $150-million grant to the Palestinian Authority four months ago, raising the 2010 total to nearly $600 million. She said that US aid "underscores the strong determination of the American people and this Administration to stand with our Palestinian friends." She also praised PA Prime Minister Salam Fayyad "for being a consistent voice for progress and common sense."
However, Fayyad recently referred to US foreign aid as "extortion." The official PA daily reported that:
"Fayyad attacked the US in an unprecedented manner... He emphasized his opposition to American 'extortion,'" and added that "our rights are not for sale, barter, or trade for a handful of dollars."
[Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, Feb. 21, 2011]
His comments were in response to the US veto of a UN resolution on the issue of Israeli building in Jerusalem and the West Bank (Feb. 18, 2011).
Click to view Clinton announcing US aid and praising Fayyad
Click to view Fayyad criticizing the US
The following is PM Fayyad's statement on official PA TV:
"We have never referred to this [US] aid as a replacement for our legitimate aspiration to achieve all our national rights. Absolutely [not]. Because our national rights are not for sale or trade for a handful of dollars."
[PA TV (Fatah), Feb. 22, 2011]
The following is Salam Fayyad's statements calling US aid "extortion" as reported in the official PA daily:
"Yesterday Prime Minister Salam Fayyad attacked the US in an unprecedented manner. He emphasized his opposition to American 'extortion,' which is expressed in the threat to halt aid to the PA if it insists on appealing to the Security Council to denounce Israeli settlement. Fayyad said: 'We did not agree, and will not agree, to extortion, and our people will never agree to that. We are not interested in the first place in receiving assistance from any source that threatens to halt its aid for political reasons.' In an announcement to the press during his inauguration of a school in the village of Al-Jalameh in the Jenin district, he added: 'I emphasize that we do not view the assistance offered to us as an alternative to liberty for our people. Justice is on our side, and our rights are not for sale, barter, or trade for a handful of dollars.'"
[Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, Feb. 21, 2011]
The following are Secretary of State Clinton's remarks in a teleconference with PM Salam Fayyad in November 2010:
"Today, I am pleased to announce that the United States has transferred an additional $150 million in direct assistance to the Palestinian Authority. This brings our direct budget assistance to a total of $225 million for the year and our overall support and investment to nearly $600 million this year. This figure underscores the strong determination of the American people and this Administration to stand with our Palestinian friends even during difficult economic times, as we have here at home. ... So let me thank the Prime Minister for his tireless efforts to realize the dreams of the Palestinian people and for being a consistent voice for progress and common sense."
[PA TV (Fatah), Nov. 10, 2010]