The Bush administration has shown readiness to end the boycott against sending money directly to the Hamas-Fatah government, according to the French news agency AFP. It quoted an anonymous senior State Department official that the American government is approaching the view for wider aid to the Palestinian Authority (PA) .
The first breach in the boycott occurred in March when the U.S. gave its stamp of approval to a special fund operated by PA Finance Minister Salam Fayyad. Prior to the approval, all money was sent through a special Quartet mechanism that bypassed the government in order to prevent Hamas from enjoying direct benefits from the money. The Quartet includes the United States, the United Nations, European Union (EU) and Russia.
Documents have revealed that international aid actually has increased since the 2006 boycott, despite claims from the PA that the boycott is financially and socially strangling PA Arabs.
The first breach in the boycott occurred in March when the U.S. gave its stamp of approval to a special fund operated by PA Finance Minister Salam Fayyad. Prior to the approval, all money was sent through a special Quartet mechanism that bypassed the government in order to prevent Hamas from enjoying direct benefits from the money. The Quartet includes the United States, the United Nations, European Union (EU) and Russia.
Documents have revealed that international aid actually has increased since the 2006 boycott, despite claims from the PA that the boycott is financially and socially strangling PA Arabs.