Folks, it pains me as a columnist to say this, but you really should not believe anything you read in those lying newspapers. Local publications like the Los Angeles Times never tell the truth anyway. However, now I cannot even turn on the television without some happy, chirpy commentator, who has probably never been outside the United States, sitting there reporting on all that wonderful democracy flooding the Middle East. Especially those "poor Palestinians" who are still yearning for that special homeland carved out of the heart of the Jewish State.



I do, however, believe every word in an article that I read recently entitled, "Western Donors Weigh Billions for Palestinians". According to the Los Angeles Times, top US and European officials met with the new Palestinian leadership in London. "The meeting was to consider $4.5 billion or more in new aid that they hope will bolster the Palestinian government, boost the economy and strengthen the drive toward peace in the Middle East," the newspaper reported. Why am I getting a feeling of deja vu?



I really, really looked, but nowhere did I see any commentary that this obscene ransom is in addition to the eight to eleven billion that Suha Arafat and company have already packed away for shopping trips and villas in Paris. Schools in Los Angeles are closing because they cannot afford even the toilet paper to keep them in business; but, hey, what is another $4.5 billion dollars to help these deprived people in Gaza?



Somewhere in the article, however, they did mention, "The Palestinian Authority has received billions of dollars for schools, hospitals, roads and other basic needs in the last decade, one of the most expensive development programs ever on a per-capita basis. But millions of dollars disappeared and the Israel-Palestinian conflict raged for much of that time, leaving little to show for the money." Millions. See what I mean? They have gotten away with billions and the press prefers to refer to the total corruption as "millions". I think not.



Hey, why wouldn't they get away with the issue of the disappearing money? I do not remember Tony Blair, the European Union, the United Nations or, especially, our president or state and treasury departments every calling for an accounting. Considering the billions and billions of dollars the Palestinian Authority has received for schools, hospitals, roads and other basic needs that never quite made it to their destinations, logically, there would be a shortage of donors to go down this road again. Nevertheless, when it comes out of taxpayer money, it is easy to be helpful for the downtrodden.



It is difficult to believe, but despite the stipulations by our Congress that outside auditors must be able to monitor how the money is being used, the Palestinian Authority will not even let US auditors enter the building where the records are supposedly being kept. Maybe it is time for them to make a trip to one of the palatial suites that Suha Arafat is living in in Paris and get the secret keys and addresses to the vaults.



So, excuse me if I do not get that warm and fuzzy feeling that seems to be going around the world now. I suppose watching the constant bombings of Israel's children waiting to enter discos or our soldiers being blown up by road-side bombings has jaded me a bit. That, and the fact that Yasser Arafat was able to defend his use of hidden bank accounts by saying they were a means of ensuring that Israel couldn't seize the funds as a pressure tactic - when the real reason for the accounts was to discreetly subsidize the PLO and the rest of the terrorists' operations. Such an affront to anyone's intelligence hasn't helped my callous attitude. Especially when these same, currently concerned, world leaders were very aware that Arafat was also using the donor money to pay the families of homicide bombers and other terrorists. (Not genocidal murderers, but "militants", as the Times refers to these savages.)



The real money that could and should be made available by the PLO/PA band of bandits, assuming real pressure is put on its dysfunctional, evil and corrupt leaders, is substantial, yet unknown. But it could well form the basis for jump-starting the so-called PA economy without outside contributions (a.k.a. "flushing the toilet"). However, it is not going to be done. The CIA, FBI and the Arabist State Department have never cooperated with any of the investigators. Their excuse was that questioning could undermine the "peace process and relations with allies." I suppose it is the same allies who were not able to finish the job of solving the Jewish Problem sixty years ago. These same guys are still hanging around, with a new name for their present-day farcical effort - the so-called Roadmap to Peace. Doesn't that sound lovely?



President Bush, Secretary Rice and the leaders of Israel are not looking so great to me. Throwing good money after bad never solved any problem that I am aware of, but I suppose it must make them feel ever-so-PC toward the warm, loving and caring Palestinian barbarians, while hiding their true feelings about Israel and Jews.



The members of the Israeli cabinet, in my opinion, have lost their minds in their rush to "disengage" and fling a large chunk of Israel for the building of this independent Palestinian state, which is to live in peace and harmony side-by-side with Israel. Oh, and in order to do this, they must destroy twenty-two Jewish communities in Judea, Samaria and Gaza, and move out thousands of Jews to keep the Arabs happy. Did I mention the opening of the jails and letting out almost a thousand of these "former" Palestinian terrorists? And for what? I don't even remember them promising to be good.



If the treacherous leaders in Israel and the anti-Semitic world leaders who are pushing for this disaster are allowed to make their votes count, shouldn't the citizens of Israel be allowed to have a vote in such a life-threatening decision? And, make no mistake about it, it is a life threatening situation in which they are finding themselves.