Former Tel Aviv Mayor Roni Milo, now Israel\'s Minister of Regional Cooperation, met with a group of Jordan Valley regional leaders, and told them that their ecological problems might be partially solved by carrying out joint programs with neighboring Jordan. \"The European Union likes ecological programs,\" Milo said, \"and would probably chip in with some aid - but only on one condition.\" Haggai Huberman reports in HaTzofeh that Milo then said something that astonished his listeners: \"The Palestinian Authority not be involved. There is no chance of obtaining EU funding for a program involving the Palestinians, because the Europeans now know that all the money they sent over for programs in the autonomy was stolen by the Palestinians.\"
Israeli officials in the Environment Ministry confirmed that PA officials have stolen 150 million German marks since Oslo. The money was earmarked for a long list of sewage projects throughout the autonomy, including in Shechem, Salfit, Hevron, and elsewhere, but only one of these projects was ever carried out: The Al-Bireh sewage installation, on the road leading to Psagot and Kokhav Yaakov. Of the others, nothing but signposts boasting of the European participation remain.
As if to counter the increasing American support for Israel\'s strong stand against Israel, the European Union demanded this week that Israel exit Palestinian-ruled territory forthwith, dismantle its blockades of Palestinian towns, release Arafat from his blockade in Ramallah, and discontinue its attacks on Europe-aided Palestinian projects. A statement signed by the 15 EU Foreign Ministers declares:
\"Israel needs the Palestinian Authority and its elected president, Yasser Arafat, as a partner to negotiate with, both in order to eradicate terrorism and to work towards peace.\" The Wall Street Journal notes that the EU description of Arafat as the \"elected president\" is accurate only in the sense that he was elected once; the one and only Palestinian election was held in 1996. On May 4, 1999, when the interim period expired, Arafat\'s tenure, and that of other elected officials, was prolonged indefinitely, and no new date for elections was set.
Israeli officials in the Environment Ministry confirmed that PA officials have stolen 150 million German marks since Oslo. The money was earmarked for a long list of sewage projects throughout the autonomy, including in Shechem, Salfit, Hevron, and elsewhere, but only one of these projects was ever carried out: The Al-Bireh sewage installation, on the road leading to Psagot and Kokhav Yaakov. Of the others, nothing but signposts boasting of the European participation remain.
As if to counter the increasing American support for Israel\'s strong stand against Israel, the European Union demanded this week that Israel exit Palestinian-ruled territory forthwith, dismantle its blockades of Palestinian towns, release Arafat from his blockade in Ramallah, and discontinue its attacks on Europe-aided Palestinian projects. A statement signed by the 15 EU Foreign Ministers declares:
\"Israel needs the Palestinian Authority and its elected president, Yasser Arafat, as a partner to negotiate with, both in order to eradicate terrorism and to work towards peace.\" The Wall Street Journal notes that the EU description of Arafat as the \"elected president\" is accurate only in the sense that he was elected once; the one and only Palestinian election was held in 1996. On May 4, 1999, when the interim period expired, Arafat\'s tenure, and that of other elected officials, was prolonged indefinitely, and no new date for elections was set.