Israel shrugs off U.S. loan cut

[vierundzwanzig]

Wed 26 November, 2003 12:07

By Matthew Tostevin

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel has brushed aside U.S. loan cuts over a huge barrier and settlement expansion on occupied land, the latest nudge from its main ally to revive a stalled peace plan, but a move Palestinians has said is not enough.

Momentum for more negotiations on the U.S.-backed peace "road map" has been building since a new Palestinian government took office earlier this month and after an unusually quiet spell during more than three years of conflict.

Part of Tuesday's cut of nearly $290 million (171 million pounds) in a multi-billion package of loan guarantees corresponds to the costs of building a barrier singled out by U.S. President George W. Bush as unhelpful to peace negotiations.

http://www.reuters.co.uk/newsPackageArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=409352§ion=news

[Wetzelbill]

1. Periodically, we wink wink and nudge nudge Israel as we feign

anger at their bloody actions and cut aid to them. They shrug it off cuz in the end they get it anyway. We never hold the cash back for long.

[vierundzwanzig]

2. Let's see

there is a lot of pressure right now. The mess in the Iraq and Afghanistan, three to four peace proposals on the table; we might have to do *something*.

[edzontar]

3. Obviously they understand that this is a ruse...

And that REAL funding will nver be cut by the neocon Bushpukes.

I keep hoping that someday our government wuld apply some REAL pressure on them to abandon their expansionist policies.

This is not it, though, its just a sop to Mr. Blair.

[brainshrub]

4. If the US stopped funding Israel

it would be a disaster for the Palestinians. The Israeli government would use the funding they had left to forcibly remove the Palestinians.

The current strategy is a long-term siege that will starve the locals into submission, but it depends on US aid to fund it.

[Classical_Liberal]

5. I don't believe this

If it isn't acceptable now with good funding it won't be acceptable with limited funding.

[brainshrub]

9. limited funding will make them desperate to move quickly.

Without funding from the US, Israel will only have a few months to act before their economy collapses.

[aneerkoinos]

6. I don't think so

Any attempt to extreme form of ethic cleansing by Israel would lead to an embargo by EU, the only real market Israel has, and instant bankrupt.

[brainshrub]

8. And after a year or two the embargo will be lifted

and it would be back to business-as-usual. Sure, you'd get some whiny liberals who will complain, but they will be accused of anti-sematism then told to shut up.

Never trust your existance on the support of the international community. You will lose that bet every time.

[aneerkoinos]

10. Hmm

So Saddam should have never agreed to disarm, NK, Iran and Syria need the Bomb to survive, etc... you got a point!

[Resistance]

7. It seems likely to me

that when the $9 billion lottery payout to Israel (err, I mean "loan" guarantee) was mapped out, it probably included an extra amount that Bush would slice off in the future as "punishment" for Israel not playing nice.